


Manufactured Talent

by Xrangel



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 01:57:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xrangel/pseuds/Xrangel
Summary: Izuru Kamukura is the Ultimate Hope, a cesspool of talent created by the worlds top surgeons. Consequently, he is in constant boredom, unable to find a reason to do anything. However, when he receives an invitation to attend Hope's Peak, he decides to accept it. Why not? There wasn't anything to lose. *IzuruxChiaki* *OOCness at the end*





	1. Chapter 1

Boring.

All of it.

Everything.

_Is there even any meaning in the Ultimate Hope bothering to enroll in Hope's Peak Academy...?_

Izuru Kamukura was bored, as usual. Ever since he had been brought into existence by those surgeons, he had found little to no entertainment in anything. He knew that he used to be Hajime Hinata. A regular teenager who went to a typical public high school. But since he was signed up for an 'Ultimate Hope' project, he gained talent. No more then a month later, he was invited to this school as the Ultimate Hope.

Every single talent that Hope's Peak had ever researched... Izuru had it. Analytical prowess, martial arts, swordplay, luck, swimming, writing, musical talents, pretty much every single type of sport out there, medical skills, gaming... there was really too much to list.

So nothing gave him a challenge. He just breezed through life, bored out of his mind. A large contributing factor of this was one of his given talents - The Ultimate Analyst. He could predict everything that was going to happen, and consequently, he couldn't find much purpose in doing anything. Why bother if he knew what was going to happen anyway?

But since he was invited to Hope's Peak, Izuru figured that he might as well accept. It would probably be boring, but hey. Better then just wandering around town with no goal in mind.

* * *

"Sooo, welcome to the first day of Hope's Peak Academy! I am Chisa Yukizome, your new homeroom teacher!"

Chisa Yukizome, the Ultimate Housekeeper, was the teacher for the 77th Class. She was wearing an apron over a long blue skirt which clashed with her vibrant orange hair. Her hair was tied into a long ponytail and was long enough to stretch across her entire back. She has striking green eyes that seemed to be able to pierce through your soul.

"Now, since it's the first day and all, I would like for all of you to mingle with each other and get to know your fellow classmates! Please, feel free to talk with everyone!"

At that, the 77th class started buzzing loudly. Everyone broke into various conversations and introduced themselves. Everyone that is, except for Izuru. He just sat in the corner and stared straight forward, not engaging with any of his classmates. He didn't need to. His extremely precise hearing was able to pick out information from the several conversations happening at once. No more then three minutes later, he already knew the names and talents of the other students.

_Chiaki Nanami, Ultimate Gamer._

_Akane Owari, Ultimate Gymnast._

_Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, Ultiamte Yakuza._

_Gundham Tanaka, Ultimate Breeder._

_Hiyoko Saionji, Ultimate Traditional Dancer._

_Ibuki Mioda, Ultimate Musician._

_Kazuichi Soda, _ _Ultimate Mechanic._

_Mahiru Koizumi, Ultimate Photographer._

_M_ _ikan Tsumuki, Ultimate Nurse._

_Nagito Komaeda, Ultimate Lucky Student._

_Nekomaru Nidai, Ultimate Team Manager._

_Peko Pekoyama, Ultimate Swordswoman._

_Sonia Nevermind, Ultimate Princess._

_Teruteru Hanamura, Ultimate Cook._

The only one he couldn't get information about was Ryota Mitari. He claimed to be the Ultimate Animator, but it seemed exceedingly obvious to Izuru that he was lying about having this talent. His natural instinct stemming from having the talent of the Ultimate Interrogator told him that Ryota Mitari might not even be his real name.

Only a few of these talents were truly unique. Those unique talents were very niche and specific, such as the Ultimate Princess and the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. However, most of the other students had repeat talents, meaning there were other students who shared their titles in the past. This meant that Izuru had their same talents.

"Hey hey! Um, I'm Chiaki Nanami."

Izuru glances to his left. There, a pink haired girl wearing a cream colored hoodie and a short brown skirt was looking at him with a slight hint of curiosity in her eyes. She was the Ultimate Gamer.

"..."

"What's your name?"

"I am called Izuru Kamukura." Izuru replies in a toneless voice.

Chiaki tilts her head slightly. Ever since she had seen Izuru, her interest had been piqued. He was tall and had those flowing silk locks... and those dark red eyes too! He looked pretty unique, that's for sure. Her interest only grew as she noticed that Izuru didn't bother to talk with anyone.

_If this were a video game, then he would definitely be an overpowered character... but as a good guy or a villain?_

"You are _called_?"

Izuru gives a curt nod. "That was the name given to me."

His eyes wander to her hair as he notices a pin she was wearing. "A Galaga hairpin..."

Izuru somehow surprises himself as he says this. He was not one to say unnecessary information like this. Why had he said this out loud?

_Interesting... I couldn't predict my own behavior._

Chiaki's eyes widen suddenly as she gasps in surprise. While a few people here had commented on it, none of them knew that the hair pin was from Galaga. Most people don't remember such an old game.

"You know about Galaga? It's such an old game, don't you think! But even so, it still remains a classic! Do you play? Are you also the Ultimate Gamer? If not, are you good at video games?" She couldn't help but bombard him with questions. For most of her life, she had pretty much been stuck playing single player. Most other gamers were boys, and consequently, she wasn't taken very seriously. The few who she had played with had gotten either uncomfortable or angry when she completely trashed them in games. Even in co-op, they got mad at the fact that she always got more points then them or something.

But now, here was a potential playing partner! And in her class no less. The question was though, how good was he?

Izuru slowly shakes his head. "I am not the Ultimate Gamer. However, I have a mastery over a wide genre of games."

Suddenly, Chiaki shoves her handheld console at Izuru's face, eyes shining. _Gala Omega _was booted up on it. "Can I see you play?"

"I suppose." Izuru sighs and takes the handheld console from her. Truth be told, he had actually never played this game before. However, like everything else he tried, he was sure that he would just effortlessly breeze through it...

_How boring._

And sure enough, when he finishes playing, his high score is tied with Chiaki.

**999900**

As Chiaki watches Izuru play, her eyes grow brighter and brighter. His technique was flawless! Every single movement seemed calculated, and she couldn't see even a single flaw with his gameplay. It was like something out of a TAS video.

Wordlessly, Izuru hands Chiaki back her console. As he expected, the whole thing was boring. He had experienced as much challenge during the late game of Gala Omega as he did at the very beginning.

"If you aren't the Ultimate Gamer, then what are you?" Chiaki asks, amazed.

"My given title is... The Ultimate Hope."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hmm. You've got a well-balanced bone structure... Your posture shows your physical ability... If you work hard, you could become an athlete that'd leave his name on the world."

Nekomaru's booming voice fills the air as he gives his analysis to Izuru. He had approached Izuru after class and gave him a quick once over.

"I don't need to work hard to become the best athlete. I already am."

"GAHAHAHAHAHA! What confidence! Splendid!" The team manager claps once while bellowing.

"Confidence? I just stated the obvious." Izuru deadpans.

"Very well, Izuru. Let me be your manager. I sense tremendous potential in you, and I guarantee you that if I manage you, then you shall truly become the best athlete. Perhaps I can even do _it _to you."

Slowly, Izuru shakes his head. "That would be pointless. I see no point in pursuing athletics. "

Nekomaru frowns. "Let me tell you one thing... Your talent will only have meaning once you have a goal to direct it towards."

"How boring. I have no interest in goals."

"You use words such as 'pointless' and 'boring'. Why is this?"

"Because that is what life is. Pointless and boring. There is no meaning for someone such as I to live. As talent incarnate, nothing is a challenge. As talent incarnate, I know everything that will happen. Why set goals if all it will do is make the future more obvious for me? That is the opposite of what I want."

"... I can not say that I understand you. However, if you choose not to pursue athletics, then I will respect your decision."

* * *

"Hey you! Get back here!"

Izuru turns around at the sound of being called. There, someone was approaching him with an angry look on his face. He was wearing a reserve course Hope's Peak uniform and was holding a rusty metal bat. Izuru was wandering near the school grounds without any particular destination in mind, when he was stopped by these people right in front of the gates to Hope's Peak. From here, you could easily see the massive building of Hope's Peak Academy in its entire glory.

"Oi, you're in the main course, ain't ya?" The reserve course student goes up right to Izuru's face and asks this.

Calmly, Izuru responds. "That is correct."

"I knew it. You're way to snobby to be just a regular person. What's your talent, huh?"

"I am known as the Ultimate Hope."

Eyes widening, the reserve course student's mouth pulls back in a snarl. "You fuckin with me? You think that just cuz your a main course student, you can joke around, huh? Well I got news for you pal, you ain't getting out of here without a few scars."

"Fighting me is not advisable." Despite being confronted by an armed enemy, Izuru manages to keep a completely calm look. And why wouldn't he be calm? This kid posed zero threat to him. Even if he was carrying a gun, he could probably leave unscathed.

"You snobby Hope's Peak students think you're all that cuz you were born with talent? Well why don't you do something with it, huh?! Contribute to society instead of acting like a rich piece of shit why don't you? So far, all I've seen you do is walk around like a loser all day! What the hell is so hopeful about that?"

"... How boring."

"Oh, that's it you fuck! Prepare for the ass beating of a life time you piece of shit!"

Without further delay, he hefts up his bat and swings it as hard as he could directly at Izuru's torso. The movement was slow and projected. He was obviously an amateur, and probably had never even swung a baseball bat in his life. With no trouble, Izuru ducks under his swing before doing a sweep kick, knocking the reserve course student to the floor. He falls to the ground, hitting the back of his head in the process, knocking him unconscious.

_Disappointing._

* * *

When not aimlessly wandering outside, Izuru spends most of his time cooped up inside of his dorm. He doesn't do anything - he just sort of sits there and meditates. Why not? Time passes the same for Izuru regardless of what he does. He had no reason to do anything.

Occasionally though, someone knocks on his door. Of course, Izuru had never answered. This was because he already knew who it was and what they wanted. Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. And of course, she would want him to play games with her. He had no intention of doing so, as he already knew how it would end up. It happened a few times each day. Izuru just ignored it though.

_*knock knock knock*_

Here it was again.

_*knock knock knock*_

Why bother playing video games if there was no enjoyment to be taken from it? It was like reading a novel that you have already read a hundred times before. There was no point in doing it..

_*knock knock knock*_

"What a nuisance..." Izuru mumbles to himself.

Eventually though, the knocking always stopped. Chiaki always knocked on his door for around 10 minutes before giving up. Today was no different.

...

...

...

Glancing up at his wall clock, Izuru looks at the time - it was 1:30 in the afternoon.

_I suppose I should eat something._

Izuru ate the same things every single day. For breakfast, three apples and a glass of milk. For lunch, a kale salad topped with fish and carrots. For dinner, beans and chili. It provided an optimal amount of nutrition that was needed for each day, so he sees no reason to vary this diet.

As he leaves his dorm though, he meets something... unexpected.

How long had it been since Izuru had been surprised? It felt like years. But now here he was, caught off guard by this.

Chiaki was standing in front of his door.

She was playing something on her handheld console but as soon as he opened his door, she had paused and looked up at him expectantly. Her usual knocking had ceased around an hour ago. This meant that she had been waiting out here for that long.

_Interesting..._

She tilted her head slightly and held up her console. On it, _Street Fighter II _was booted up. "Play with me?"

"... Why are you so persistent? I have ignored your attempts numerous times."

Chiaki puts a hand on her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I've finally made a friend who plays video games... I think."

"Friend." Izuru echoes. The word felt alien to his mouth. What gave this girl the impression that the two of them were friends? They had only talked once or twice before this. To call him a friend of hers was simply illogical.

"So, please? If you don't like fighting games, I have other types in my backpack."

Izuru thinks for a second. This girl had surprised her once today... so perhaps she could show him uncertainty? It was unlikely, but... it wasn't as if he had anything else to do.

"Very well." Izuru says simply. It was only two words, but Chiaki's face brightens up considerably. It hadn't gone unnoticed to her that Izuru hadn't denied that they were friends.

For a moment though, the two just stand there face to face. Chiaki had been expecting Izuru to step out of his room and walk with her somewhere, but he hadn't moved an inch.

Finally, Izuru speaks, breaking the silence. "Come in."

"Huh? Oh..." Chiaki blushes almost imperceptibly. She hadn't expected to actually be invited inside of his room... but it wasn't as if she was complaining. In fact, she sees this as Izuru opening up more.

That was her goal. To get Izuru to open up. She had decided this right after she had met Izuru for the first time - the win conditions for this friendship would be to make Izuru act...

_Well, act more like a person, I guess._

She doesn't know why she felt so strongly about this... she just did. So when she was invited into his room... well, her heart couldn't help but flutter a bit as she reached this small victory.

Chiaki had no idea what to expect of Izuru's room. She knew that he was the Ultimate Hope, but what does that even mean? Maybe he's a really motivational speaker who has an endless amount of optimism?

...

_Probably not._

But as she enters his room, she is struck dumb. His dorm was completely empty.

Well, not _completely. _There was a bed, a single desk along with two chairs, and a wall clock. But other then that, there was really nothing there. Just a vast empty floor furnished with more empty walls. She couldn't see the restroom, but she would bet that there were no decorations in there either.

"Why is your room so... erm, empty?"

"I see no reason to decorate it. The essentials are all that are necessary." A soft yet strong voice comes from Chiaki's right, causing her to jump. She hadn't even heard him walk up next to her.

"But... I think it would be nice to have some stuff in here, you know? Like, place a TV in the room so you can watch it from your bed or something."

"I have no reason to watch television."

"Maybe you could put a bookshelf here or there..."

"There is no point in me reading."

"Or put some pictures of you or your family on the wall."

"I have no family."

This gives Chaiki pause. "No... family?"

Izuru nods. "There is no one I can call family. While I do have living relatives, I have never talked to them in my life."

This was partially true. 'Izuru' had never talked to his parents, while 'Hajime' had. He was given the opportunity to meet and talk with his parents when he woke from the operation, though he declined it. He saw no purpose in meeting them anyway.

"Oh... I'm sorry." Chiaki says with a wince.

This causes Izuru's ever present frown to curl downwards deeper. "To apologize for something that you have no control over is illogical."

"Well, even if it's illogical... I'm sorry. Everyone deserves to have a family." What kind of past could Izuru have held for him to not have a family? Perhaps this was part of the reason why Izuru acted so aloof...

"..."

"Anyway... have you ever played Street Fighter II?" Chiaki asks while handing him her spare Gameboy. While it was the same Gameboy that she uses, it did not hold the various signs of wear and tear. They were both connected via link cables.

"No, I have not. But it does not matter. The outcome is predictable regardless of my previous experience."

"Predictable?"

"Yes," Izuru says, sitting down in his desk. "No matter the game, I will win."

And sure enough, he did. Chiaki didn't stand a single chance. For once in her life, she was completely trashed in a fighting game. In fact, Chiaki had only landed a single blow on Izuru - it was at the very beginning of the match. But even that single hit could be contributed to the fact that Izuru was learning the controls.

And then the next round, Chiaki was perfected. Meaning that she didn't land a single blow on Izuru. He perfectly spaced every single hit and performed frame perfect inputs to completely and utterly demolish her.

However, being trashed only hardened her resolve. "Rematch! Play me again!"

"... Alright."

For the next 30 minutes, the two play game after game. Each and every match ended up the same - Izuru played perfectly and Chiaki was demolished. No matter what character Chiaki plays, no matter how she starts each match, no matter how she changes her strategy, Izuru always beat her.

And he looked completely bored while doing it.

"You really haven't played this game before?" Chiaki looks up from her Gameboy after being beat for the millionth time and gapes at him in awe. His expression remained perfectly calm.

"This is my first time."

"You should enter tournaments and stuff then! You could be the best in the world like that."

Izuru shakes his head. "Every match would be predictable. Every match would be boring. There is no point in me entering tournaments."

"But... then this talent would kind of be a waste, you know? Why not show it off to the world?"

For the first time since she had met him, Izuru's expression changes. His eyes sharpen as his face takes on a slightly darker look. Though it was subtle, the abrupt change caused the atmosphere to feel dense, almost suffocating. "You're saying the same things. I hope that this not become a pattern."

Chiaki involuntarily shivers. "Same... thing?"

"... It is nothing." Izuru says, standing up from the desk. "Unless you wish to play another round, I must ask you to leave."

The gamer seems to deflate as her eyes flicker down at the floor. "O-Oh... Okay then. See you tomorrow."

_I guess I offended him in some way..._


	3. Chapter 3

Izuru sighs in annoyance as yet another person comes up to him with an interest in his talents. This time, a girl named Sakura Ogami wants to fight him in order to test his strength. All Izuru really wanted is some way to relieve his boredom, something to defy his predictions.

"Your body doesn't look built at all, but I can tell you're strong. In order to become the strongest human alive, I must test your power. That's what I believe."

He thought that Chiaki may hold potential in this regard, but that hope was broken when she had asked him about the same exact things that so many other people had asked.

"That's probably true. I'm talented at many martial arts. The muscles you've spent years building would probably mean little against me"

_"Why don't you try applying your talent? You could do so much good!"  
_

_"You could be the best in the world if you tried. You should show your talent to the world!"_

"Will you spare some time to spar against me? Even a little will be fine."

It was always either one of two of those things. Everyone wanted _him _to show off his talents. They pretend as if they want this so that he could contribute to society, but in reality, they all just want self satisfaction. None of them had any talent, so they go to him in order to fulfill their own petty desires.

"I don't think that there's any point in a battle where an outcome is obvious."

Their desires were boring and predictable. Each dream that these people held were narrow-minded and only held a single definitive future.

In order words, he would be even more bored if he were to do anything that these people suggested.

"You may be able to predict results, but that does not mean they will always be correct."

Was he truly cursed to wander this world in constant boredom? Will there be no escape? Perhaps he should do increasingly risky and outlandish behavior, like scaling mountains or joining wars as a singular third party. Would he find excitement in this? Or would it just end with disappointment?

"The strongest human in the world? What a boring goal." Izuru comments.

"Boring or not, it is my goal. So Izuru, please spare some time to spare me."

"... Very well. If it will placate you, then I see no reason to refuse." Izuru gestures to the surrounding area. They were on the school track, so it seemed like the perfect place to fight, as a wide open area with no obstacles or other people. "Shall we begin?"

A menacing aura emanates from Sakura as she takes a stance. Every single muscle in her body bulges as she levels a cool glare at her opponent.

Unlike Sakura however, Izuru just remained standing in a casual pose. Even so, Sakura couldn't help but feel a cloud of death surrounding him. Every single instinct in her body told her that this. This sense of foreboding and alarm... she had never felt this way before. Not even against Kenshiro.

However, she can't back down. If she wanted to reach her goal of being the worlds strongest human, she must be able to take down any obstacle in her path. And if one of those obstacles was Izuru Kamukura, then so be it. She would take him down.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura makes the first move. She rushes forward with blindingly fast speed, little more then a blur in the air. As she closes the distance between her and Izuru, she feigns several hits in quick succession before striking at his leg with her palm. But not only did Izuru not react at all to her feints, he simply shifted his left a few inches to the right, causing Sakura to miss completely.

Before he could counter attack, she leaps back and takes a defensive stance. However, Izuru had made no attempt to strike her. He just stood there, unmoving. Since the fight had begun, he had not moved at all save for dodging one of her blows.

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura takes a cautious step forward, bringing her just barely in range with Izuru. She does a sweeping roundhouse kick, but purposefully telegraphed it. When Izuru jumped up to dodge it, Sakura immediately punches up in the air where he had leapt. However, Izuru had anticipated this. He bends his body in a way where her strike whiffs, before landing back in the ground in a perfect position. Once again, it was a prime opportunity for Izuru to counter attack. And yet... Izuru does nothing. He just stands there and looks at her expectantly.

Scowling, Sakura regains her balance.

_So, he means to mock me... Very well, I shall test his resilience!_

Taking a deep breath, Sakura launches a reckless barrage of jabs. Each punch was as fast and as strong as a bullet. For a full 30 seconds, she tries hits at him with as much speed and accuracy as she could muster, with no regard for her own safety.

And for those 30 seconds, Izuru flawlessly dodges each blow. He uses minimal movement, so that each of her punches only grazed his clothing. She wanted to at the very least land a glancing blow. But he was too fast.

Finally Sakura stops. She pants hard while glaring at the man in front of him. "Why... Why won't you fight?"

But as soon as she says that, Izuru strikes. Faster then she could blink, Izuru circles behind her. He uses two fingers to jab at her back, hitting a pressure point on her spine. It was only one blow, but it was enough.

Sakura collapses onto the ground, completely paralyzed from the waist down.

Before Sakura could even process what happened, Izuru begins to walk away. Sakura couldn't see his face, but she somehow knew that disappointment was etched into his face.

"I... see. The road to being the strongest person alive is longer then I thought." The martial artist stares up at sky. It was strikingly blue, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. However, she couldn't appreciate its beauty as there was a throbbing agony throughout her entire body. Even though only the lower part of her body had been effected by Izuru's jab, pain spread all over her. Not only was she physically hurt however, her pride was also in shambles. This guy had taken her down with a single blow, and had effortlessly dodged all of her attacks.

Even with all of her training she was no match... was her road to being the strongest person a fruitless endeavor? For if someone like Izuru was this powerful yet unknown, then surely there were others like him all over the world.

As she closes her eyes, she hears that Izuru had finally said something.

"As I predicted. How boring."

* * *

"Oh... excuse me, may I have a word with you?"

Izuru turns around to find himself face to face with Nagito Komaeda.

_Though he hides it well, this man has quite the mental illness... I suppose his luck is the only thing keeping him alive._

"What is it?" Izuru replies tonelessly.

Immediately, Nagito's eyes widen as he breaks into a crooked grin. "For someone like me to be able to speak with the likes of you... Wow, I really am lucky! I can sense it. Your potential for hope... It's limitless!"

"That _is _my talent. The Ultimate Hope."

Nagito takes a ragged breath. "Is that true? You're the Ultimate Hope? Oh, I'm not insinuating that you're lying or anything, it's just... wow, I'm not fit to even hold a conversation with you, am I? For a talentless nobody like me to be in the same class as you... It's unjust!"

"... Are you finished?" Izuru asks with disinterest. Though this was his first conversation with Nagito, he could already predict what he would talk about. It would just be endless nonsense about Hope mixed with self deprecation.

_How boring._

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Nagito backs up and laughs nervously. "I'm sure that a single minute of your time is worth more then a day of mines. It's just that your Hope... it's irresistible to me!"

"Nagito, you are boring. Your entire existence to me is boring. So I would prefer it if you don't talk to me anymore. Farewell." Izuru turns around without waiting for a response.

Nagito is left speechless as he watches Izuru's back grow smaller and smaller as he walks away.

_Izuru Kamukura... You truly are a beacon of Hope, one that could choke out even the darkest of Despair._

Laughing to himself, Nagito shakes his head. "I shall respect your wishes then, Izuru. I will support you from the sidelines, where I belong."

* * *

"You. Who are you?"

Ryota freezes as he hears a chillingly cold voice come from right behind him. Slowly but surely, he turns around, only to find himself face to face with a tall, red eyed man in a suit. Locks of silky brown hair flow from his head, reaching his knees.

He had seen this man during class, but he had never made any attempt to engage conversation with anyone. He just sort of... sat there. Consequently, rumors about him was spread everywhere - not just within the 77th class. He had heard gossip come from not only other classes, but even some of the staff at Hope's Peak.

"W-What do you mean?" Ryota asks. "My name is-"

"I did not ask for the name of the person you're impersonating." Izuru says in a flat voice. "I'm asking for _your _name."

Ryota lets out an involuntary gasp. Had this man seen through his disguise? It seemed too effortless to be true.

"You are not the Ultimate Animator, nor are you Ryota Mitarai. So who are you?"

Impossible. Not once in his entire life had someone seen through his disguise. No one had even been _suspicious _of him. And yet, this person had clearly and confidently stated that he was an impostor.

"I... okay, I'm not Ryota."

"That much is obvious."

"I don't have a name... my talent is the Ultimate Impostor."

Izuru pauses. Yes, that would make sense. He had thought that this person might be something like that - Ultimate Impostor, Ultimate Disguiser, Ultimate Doppelganger... As always, his prediction was right. This person was a fake.

"I assume that the real Ultimate Animator is indisposed then?"

The Impostor nods curtly. "I'm afraid that he's... sick.

"Elaborate."

"He's obsessed with animation. Ever since starting this project, he had been working on it as if his life depended on it. So I've had to take care of him and take his place as the Ultimate Animator."

Ryota had been completely obsessed with working on his animation... He worked almost maniacally on it, day and night. In fact, he probably would have died ages ago from exhaustion and malnutrition if the impostor wasn't taking care of him. Sometimes, Ryota just passed out and the impostor had to nurse him back to health. Of course, as soon as he does, Ryota goes straight back to animating. Working on his animation 24/7 left the impostor with no choice but to substitute him in school.

Izuru nods. "I see. Thank you for informing me."

_Perhaps I should visit this Ryota... He is the only student that I have not met yet._

* * *

"Gah... damn fuckin wires!"

Kazuichi curses as he shields his face from some sparks. Nagito had slipped on an empty soda can a few meters away, causing the soda can to roll down a hill before proceeding to shoot up from a conveniently placed ramp. The soda can hit a bird nest which for some reason had an extremely sharp rock placed in it. Of course, the nest toppled over and the rock fell directly onto a bundle of wires that was connecting one of Kazuichi's machines together.

This sort of thing happened all of the time with Nagito. For some damned reason, his bad luck always mixes up with Kazuichi's own luck.

"A prototype Teleoperated Robot. Judging by its exterior and design, you have designed it for military use."

"GAHHH!" Kazuichi jumps and whirls around. Behind him, Izuru was looking at him work. Just how long had he been there?!

"What the hell man? You can't just sneak up on someone like that! You seriously surprised me!"

"To frighten you was not my intention."

"Hey I said _surprise, _not frighten! What the heck are you doing here anyway?" Kazuichi asks wiping his face with a towel. Oil, dirt, and sweat was covering his entire body.

"I just happened to encounter you." Izuru states in a matter of fact manner.

"What's that supposed to mean? How did you just happen to encounter me?" Kazuichi had heard all of the rumors - he had even started a few himself. Some rumors stated that Izuru was a cyborg. Some said that Izuru was a real demon. Izuru was pretty much the center of all gossip, spreading to even the reserve course.

_Whoever this guy is, he's pretty creepy..._

"I was wandering around aimlessly, without purpose. I happened to hear you shout, so I drifted towards you."

"Well that's-" Kazuichi pauses. "Wait, how did you know that this was a Telerobot? Most people have never even heard of that."

"How boring. I would expect for the Ultimate Mechanic to create something new." Izuru deadpans.

"Hey, no need to insult me! What's your problem?" Kazuichi protests. "Besides, this is just a side job I have to get some extra money. I'm working on something right now and I need to buy some expensive parts, y'know?"

"I doubt that your project holds any new innovations."

"That's not true!" Kazuichi was getting pretty angry now. Who did this Izuru guy think he was? Just because he was super scary and brooding doesn't mean he can be a jerk to everyone. "I'm working on this gigantic machine that's like 50 feet tall!"

"What is the purpose of this machine?"

"Well..." In all honesty, Kazuichi had just made that giant thing to impress Sonia. He kind of just attached whatever parts he could find on it, like various speakers and engines. Since it was so huge, he figured that Sonia would be interested and ask him about it. While she _did _appear, all that happened was that she said he smelled bad before backing away from him.

"It does... things!"

...

"As I expected." Izuru says before walking away, apparently losing interest.

"H-Hey! Get back here!" Kazuichi shouts. "It really is an awesome machine!"

* * *

Fuyuhiko scowls at the ground, apparently pissed off. He had just received a call from his sister saying that she was robbed.

"Young master. Is there something troubling you?" Peko asks with concern.

"Some asshole just extorted 8 million yen from my sister. She said it was some urchin haired freak. You know anyone who looks like that?"

Peko's face darkens. As a matter of fact, she did know someone who fit that description. "That clairvoyant..."

"Clairvoyant? You know this guy?"

"Don't trouble yourself, young master. I shall see to this issue personally."

Fuyuhiko rolls his eyes. "First of all, I told you to stop calling me young master! We're just supposed to be classmates! Second of all, if you know who extorted my sister, then I want to know too!"

Peko winces slightly. Calling Fuyuhiko 'young master' was just a force of habit at this point. "That is-"

Suddenly, a sharp jolt runs through Peko's heart as every hair on the back of her neck stands up. She unsheathes her sword and whirls around. There, a man with extremely long hair was slowly walking towards them. Though he walked in a non-threatening manner, every instinct in his body screamed that this guy was dangerous.

"Peko? What's up?" Fuyuhiko asks.

"..."

Ever since Peko had met Izuru, she had pinned him as the most dangerous and unpredictable person here, surpassing even the soldier and that writing prodigy. He was the biggest threat to her young m-... her classmate's safety.

"Izuru. What do you want?" Peko asks, shooting a deadly glare at him.

"..." Izuru ignores her, instead choosing to walk past her. Even though he remained in a passive state, Peko couldn't help but feel threatened. He was trying to walk past her. And past her, Fuyuhiko was standing, defenseless.

Quick as lightning, she blocks Izuru's path with her sword. "Turn around and walk away."

"Woah, Peko! You don't need to be so fuckin aggressive!"

"Young master, this person is unpredictable. I can not guarantee your safety if he interacts with you."

"Tch, he doesn't even have a weapon or anything! Besides, I've never even talked to the guy. Why would he want to kill me?" Fuyuhiko was clearly upset. All he really wanted was for Peko to start acting like a normal person. For the better part of his life, Peko had always referred to herself as a tool. It _hurt_. To see her degrade herself like that while devoting her life to him... it really hurt.

"But young mas-"

"And for fucks sake, stop calling me that!"

Peko's face reddens slightly as she realizes her mistake. Perhaps Fuyuhiko was right... was she being too defensive? It was possible that her over-protectiveness could actually be damaging his relationships with his classmates...

She blinks.

_What... Where..._

Izuru was gone. She had the side of her sword right up to his neck. But now, all that remained was empty air. Somehow, he had disappeared... and she didn't notice. At that moment, if Izuru wanted to, he could have killed or kidnapped Fuyuhiko. And she wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

"Hey, wait a sec. Where the hell did that guy go?" Fuyuhiko looks around but Izuru wasn't anyone in sight. Apparently, he hadn't seen him disappear either. Even though he was literally right in front of him, he had managed to get away without either of them noticing.

Peko shakes her head. She could be as overprotective as she wanted to be, but none of it would matter if she couldn't even see her opponents movements... What she needed to do was train. Train until she would be able to face the likes of Izuru.

_I will protect my young master..._

* * *

"Yo! You're strong, right?"

Akane jumps in front of Izuru as she asks this. Ever since Nekomaru had told her about him, she had been running everywhere looking for him. Apparently, this skinny guy was supposed to be super strong.

_He doesn't look at powerful, but if Nekomaru says he is, then..._

"You could say that."

"Alright then, fight me!" Akane says while grinning.

Izuru stares at her with a bored expression. _Yet another person obsessed with testing my talents. And a fighter at that. Not very original._

"There is no point in me fighting you when the outcome is obvious."

"Huh?"

"No matter what, I would win. Thus, there is no point in fighting."

"Hah! Nekomaru was right, you're a cocky guy! Looking at you, you're probably no more then a 2, a 3 at best. But if that old man says you're strong, then I still need to fight you and win!"

"How boring. Your personality is as varied as a brick wall."

"Shut up!" Akane shouts, pounding her fists together. "You're gonna blab all day, or are we gonna fight?"

"If I fight you, will you remove yourself from my presence?"

"Sure, sure, whatever! Let's just go already!"

"Very well. Let us begin." Izuru sighs.

"YEAHHHH!" Akane shouts while recklessly charging at Izuru.

_Every single one of her moves are telegraphed. Everything she says is predictable. Everything about this person is boring._

As Akane launches a flying kick at Izuru, he sidesteps causing Akane to miss. Before she could even land on the ground, Izuru does the same thing he had done to Sakura - he jabs two fingers at a specific point on her spine.

Immediately, Akane collapses, paralyzed. She gasps as sudden pain courses through her entire body while her legs suddenly fail. "W-What the?"

"I believe we are finished here. Farewell."

"Hey! We aren't done here!" Akane says, pushing herself up with her arms. "You haven't beat me yet!"

"To fight someone in your state is illogical. There would be even less point in doing so."

"Shut up! All I gotta do is win and you'll shut your trap right? Then get over here and fight me!" Akane roars, crawling towards him.

Izuru stares down at her, disappointed. He had gone to this school because he thought that there might be something unexpected may happen. But aside from a few insignificant blips, everything had gone as he predicted. Even the others who had been blessed with talent stayed predictable. It didn't matter if they were loved by talent, or if they were born without it. Everything was the same.

None of his classmates could be considered unpredictable.

There was no point in this.

No point at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chiaki bites the bottom of her lip as she plays Galaga while listening to her other classmates. It was homeroom, and as usual, everyone just chatted among themselves about random things. Today however, there was one general topic - Izuru. Apparently, quite a few of them had encountered him yesterday.

Though there was always gossip about Izuru, when the other students actually held conversations with him, that only added fuel to the flames. Of course, once a rumor starts spreading, it spreads quickly. It didn't exactly help that Izuru skipped class most of the time, so he couldn't correct any of them.

Chiaki paid extra attention to the gossip about Izuru, and did her best placate them, but it was impossible to dispel all of them. The first of the myths started in Class 77, before spreading to the other class batches. From there, it slowly but surely made its way to the reserve course... which is when all hell breaks loose.

The fact that the reserve course students always seemed bitter towards the main course students, plus the massive size of the reserve course itself, _and_ Izuru being one of the more 'unfriendly' students served to completely destroy Izuru's image. There were even some people who thought that Izuru was Genocider Syo!

But now that these encounters started happening... well, who knew what would happen? No one could tell fact from fiction as it is.

Chiaki puts her gameboy down. Suddenly, she didn't feel like playing anymore... which was pretty rare. She really did want to befriend Izuru, it was just that she didn't know how.

It had always been like this... for her whole life, she had always struggled in social interactions. Of course, it didn't help that she was constantly glued to a screen. If only she could find a common ground for her and Izuru to stand on... she tried playing games with him, but he just said that it was boring...

"Well, it's not like I can make friends with gaming anyway." Chiaki mumbles to herself.

"Hey! Don't ever say that you can't make friends!" Out of literally nowhere, Chisa pops up in front of Chiaki's desk and puts her hands on her shoulder.

"M-Ms. Yukizome?"

"You can make friends with anyone through any method! Gaming included, so don't count yourself out!" Chisa scolds. "I know that you have fun playing games by yourself, so imagine how fun you would have if you play with other people!"

"But, Ms. Yukizome... I tried to make friends with someone through gaming already, but... it didn't really work out." Chiaki mutters, looking down at her console. They had played several rounds of Street Fighter II, and at the end of it all, she just ended up offending Izuru.

"Well, how many times have you tried?"

"... Once."

"There you go then! It takes more then a single interaction to make friends! Besides, even if one friendship doesn't work out, you still have everyone else here!" Chisa takes a hand off of her shoulder to gesture dramatically at the rowdy classroom.

Chiaki's eyes widen. Chisa was right... she couldn't just give up after trying just one time. She could also make friends with her other classmates through gaming. Chiaki nods at her teacher as her resolve hardens.

_Let's do this!_

* * *

The next day, she brought a gaming console along with several controllers to the classroom. As per her request, Kazuichi had built large monitor, perfect for playing games with a group. She had actually been thinking somewhat negatively as she set up in the classroom. What if none of them even _liked _to play video games? But amazingly, none of them resisted the idea of playing games together. In fact, many of them really liked the idea!

But most importantly... Chiaki had gotten really lucky.

Really, really lucky.

Izuru, for once, was attending class.

He had rarely been showing up, only appearing once every a couple of weeks or so. The fact that he was here means that maybe he would play some games with her and the rest of the class!

But as everyone started playing games together, (they started off with Mario Kart) worry is planted into her heart. Instead of joining in, Izuru just sat in his usual spot at the back of his class and watched them play. There didn't seem to be any interest in his eyes... just his usual indifference.

_"It takes more then a single interaction to make friends!"_

As they decided to set up a fighting game tournament (Smash Brothers), Chiaki looks once more over at Izuru. He hadn't move a single inch. Perhaps she should take the initiative... invite him to play with them.

_But what if he just rejects me? I mean, he doesn't seem very interested at all..._

Despite these doubts clouding her mind, Chiaki managed to muster up some courage. Holding her breath, she walks over to Izuru. As she approaches, she could see his dark red eyes shift to focus onto her.

"..."

"Izuru? Would you like to play with us?"

"..."

"Please? Just one time."

"... Very well." Izuru stands up from his desk and promptly walks over to join the rest of his group, leaving a speechless Chiaki behind. She had actually been expecting him to flat out reject her, and was preparing hundreds of rebuttals and pleas in her mind. But... instead of doing any of that, he just agreed! Needless to say, she was pretty shocked.

She wasn't the only one either. Already, she could hear exclamations of surprise coming over from the rest of her classmates. They had obviously not expected Izuru to join in either.

Chiaki quickly runs over to join her classmates, excitement bubbling in her chest. Maybe this would serve to open Izuru up a little! The first round of their fighting game tournament was already starting, and since he was a newcomer, they had all decided that Izuru could play first. He was up against Gundham, who as always, seemed to be extremely confident.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Gundham cackles maniacally. "Watch, as the ghost of Hope's Peak is felled under my unparalleled skills in the gaming wo-"

**GAME!**

...

Izuru had won before Tanaka could even finish his spiel.

"I... ah." Gundham blinks in surprise. "What?"

"How boring..."

"My my..." Teruteru chuckles with a hand on his chin. "The mythical Izuru seems to be quite the avid gamer, hm?"

Chiaki watches this unfold with slight amusement. Of course Izuru would pull something like that... Hopefully this doesn't cause any of the other students to get angry at him. She knew from personal experience that if you were _too _good, then that could breed resentment.

Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case. As Izuru effortlessly breezed through his side of the bracket, the other students lost with grace. Though if that was because they were good sports, or if because they were just scared of him, Chiaki didn't know. She really hoped that the first option was the case.

As expected, Chiaki and Izuru meet up in the finals. As their match begins, the usual banter that went on starts to fade away. Both competitors had easily made their way to the finals, and no one really knew how this matchup would end.

Well, no one except for Izuru. As soon as he had picked up the controller, he had already predicted the exact placings of everyone that was attending this tournament. So far, he had gotten every prediction right. This would be no different.

And it wasn't.

Chiaki loses quickly and easily. However, there was one thing Izuru didn't account for... she had managed to land not one, not two, but three blows on him. Once more, Chiaki had managed to actually surprise him. So far, she remained to be the only person here able to do so.

"Ah, I lost." Chiaki smiles softly as she puts down her controller and faces Izuru. "Thank you for playing, Izuru. I really appreciate it."

"Woah!" Ibuki's jaw drops in amazement. "Izuru was even able to beat the Ultimate Gamer?! That's so amazing!"

As Izuru puts the controller down and begins to walk away, Chiaki calls out to him - "Izuru. If you want, you can keep playing with us!"

...

After what seemed like an hour long pause, Izuru wordlessly turns back around and picks up the controller again. The sight of this both overjoyed and shocked Chiaki. For one, she knew that Izuru was bored. I mean, he complained about it basically all the time. But even so, he was willing to spend more time with his classmates... was he really beginning to open up after all? She couldn't help but give Izuru a goofy grin as he stared at the monitor. She was getting closer and closer to him - she could feel it.

Unfortunately, their group gaming session couldn't last forever. Soon, they had decided to play Monopoly. As soon as Nagito picked up the controller, the monitor had flickered slightly, and when they started the first round, Nagito had somehow rolled a 2,147,483,647 on his dice. Consequently, his Monopoly piece kept going around and around the board with seemingly no end. They couldn't restart the game or anything either, as you couldn't pause while a piece was moving. On top of that, when the monitor flickered, it was actually a circuit fuse blowing which broke the power button on the gaming console so they couldn't just reset the console.

Of course, Nagito apologized for this profusely.

"For talentless scum like me to destroy a Hope filled bonding moment between Ultimates..." Nagito shakes his head with a scowl. "I know my word means nothing, but I'm sorry. I can't believe that something like this happened... I really am a terrible person."

"Nagito, it's fine, really. It was getting late anyway." Chiaki says in a soothing voice.

"Ah, dang." Kazuichi grumbles while rubbing the back of his head. "How come his luck always breaks my machines? It's like I'm being targeted or something."

Meanwhile, Izuru had gone back to his reclusive self. Chiaki had been studying him intently for any reactions while gaming, but as far as she's seen, he hadn't deviated from his usual expressionless face.

Taking a deep breath, Chiaki walks up to Izuru and sits in the empty desk in front of him. She needed to know. Did he even enjoy playing games with any of them? Or did he just do this as a sort of pity move? "Izuru... how did you feel about today?"

"It was boring." Izuru responds listlessly.

"... If it was boring, then why did you do it? Why were you willing to play with us?"

"Time passes the same regardless of what I'm doing. I had no particular reason to refuse your invitation."

"So you didn't have any fun playing with us? You really didn't feel anything?" Chiaki asks desperately. Did he really feel nothing while playing those games? Was he completely and truly indifferent to all of that?

"This was a boring and predictable experience. However, if given the choice of either playing your games or wandering aimlessly, I suppose that the first option is slightly more enjoyable."

That was it.

That was what Chiaki had wanted to hear. To finally hear confirmation from Izuru. Confirmation that he really _did _have fun, no matter how small that fun was. Her eyes seem to begin to start shining as she smiles at him. It felt like she was finally making progress.

"Thank you, Izuru." Chiaki says warmly.

Izuru stares at her with his piercing red eyes. They seemed to be able to stare into her soul. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if Izuru was capable of doing exactly that. "What are you thanking me for? I do not recall doing anything worthy of gratitude."

"We had fun together. You were willing to give us a chance."

"..."

"So, thank you. I really hope we can do something like this again."


	5. Chapter 5

Izuru stares down at the floor as the sound of Chiaki happily humming fills the room. For some absurd reason, she had begun to request to 'hang out' with him. Ever since the day she had brought her video games to the classroom, Chiaki seemed to be getting more obsessed with the idea of being his 'friend'.

It was illogical. He was completely aware of the fact that most people viewed him with disdain. So why would this person go to such lengths in attempt to befriend him? Despite it making no sense, Chiaki had gone from knocking on his door to just asking him to hang out directly.

Since he had no reason to refuse her, she had been spending more and more time in his room. Right now, she was doing her homework. Occasionally, she asked for his help on a problem, but most of the time she just kept to herself. Even so, she appeared to be happy and enjoyed Izuru's company. It had practically become a regular thing. Chiaki would come visit Izuru for a few hours in the afternoon every day, and occasionally they would play a game together.

_*knock knock knock*_

Both Chiaki and Izuru glance up at the door as a knocking noise breaks their calm silence. Most of the other students treated him with either indifference or wariness, so it wasn't as if Izuru gets a lot of visitors. In fact, Chiaki is pretty much the only other person to go into his dorm besides himself.

Slowly, Izuru walks up to the door and opens it.

Immediately, two girls come barging in to his room. One of them was a tall girl with two giant strawberry blonde pigtails. She was wearing a black cardigan over a white dress shirt as well as a loosely fit tie and a plaid miniskirt. The other girl was noticeably plain compared to the first one, only wearing a standard Hope's Peak uniform. She had black bobbed hair and a sprinkle of freckles on her face.

Chiaki's eyes widen as she recognizes the pair - the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima and the Ultimate Soldier, Mukuro Ikusaba. They were both from the 78th class. But what were they doing here?

"Kamukura!" Junko squeals. "You're here!"

Izuru gives her a flat stare. "What is it that you want?"

Junko gasps and suddenly looks at Chiaki, who was standing behind Izuru. "Oh, did I interrupt something? I didn't know that _the _Izuru Kamuura had a girlfriend! That's so cute!"

"W-Wait, girlfriend?" Chiaki stammers.

"Muku! Hold on to the little thing, why don't you?"

Quick as lightning, Mukuro dashes over to Chiaki and restrains her tightly. She didn't even have time to blink before she realized that her arms were being held behind her back. "Hey! Let go!"

"..." Izuru looks at Junko questioningly.

"O-M-G, sorry, I'm just a huge fan of your work! There were tales flying around everywhere that you were here, but I didn't think that someone like you would actually be going to school! Can I get an autograph? Muku! You have a pen on you, right?"

"... Um, no Junko. I don't." Mukuro says quietly.

"Ugh! You're so useless! Anyway, can I get a hug instead then?" Junko holds her arms out with a giant smile on her face.

"..."

"Junko, he might be dangerous."

"Well, duh! What else is new, dummy?" Junko snaps. "Anyway, Kamukura, pleasure to meet you! I'm Junko Enoshima from the 78th class. We're practically neighbors!"

"..."

"So, this might sound weird, but you've kind of been on my mind lately! I mean, you've been on everyone else's mind too, you know? But I've been thinking about you way more then those other people, because I think your totally filled with potential! But here you are, wasting away in a dumpy school!"

"Potential..." Izuru mutters. "It always comes down to that."

"Yeah, and since you have so much potential, you've been dubbed the Ultimate Hope, isn't that right? So imagine how much Despair would be spread..." Junko says, stepping closer to Izuru.

"If you were to die here and- ack!" Junko gasps as Izuru kicks her square in the stomach. The knife that she was holding behind her back clatters onto the floor as she collapses. Before she could pick up her knife, Izuru crushes her hand with his heel.

"Junko! You bastard!" Mukuro shouts, letting go of Chiaki as she reveals a combat knife of her own. Rushing in to defend Junko, she was about to stab him... until Mukuro looks down and realizes that for some reason, she wasn't holding her knife.

It had vanished from her hands and appeared in Izuru's.

Before Mukuro could even process this, Izuru hits Mukuro over the head with the handle of her knife, efficiently knocking her unconscious

"How boring. None of what you two just did had any purpose." Izuru comments.

"Ahahaha! Boring? How refreshing it is to finally see another nihilist! Kamukura, you know that Despair belongs to everyone, right? It should be shared with the world!"

"Despair... shared with the world."

"You see... Despair is the great unknown. A girl can only be this smart for so long before unease sets in. That's the curse of being bright. Everyone goes on and on about Hope, but what they really mean is status quo. But Despair is the ultimate mystery box! It shatters the status quo and plunges the world into chaos! Imagine, death and mayhem being unleashed throughout the nation! If the world is set to a war, then none of us can be as sane as we all claim to be! Kamukura, you want to be surprised, right? I know how you feel, as a fellow analyst. Let me tell you, Despair is much more unpredictable than-"

That was as far as she got before Izuru stomped on her head, knocking the fashionista unconscious. For once, Izuru had a slightly perturbed expression on his face as she stared down at Junko.

"I-Izuru..." Chiaki had no idea what to say. What could she say? The answer was nothing.

Izuru bends down to pick up the unconscious Junko and Mukuro. "I will drop them off at the medical bay." He says in a flat voice.

"Right... Um, Izuru?" Chiaki asks hesitantly.

"..."

"I... I didn't understand everything that Junko said, but... please don't follow this 'Despair' thing that she talked about... I know it's unfair of me to ask. I don't know how you feel, how... bored you are with everything, but please. I don't want anything that Junko had described to happen, and I don't think anyone else want that either. Even if it might be more boring, please don't side with her on this."

"..."

Izuru stands at his door for what seemed like forever, unmoving. In the end, Izuru simply left his room without saying anything, leaving a very concerned Chiaki behind. As Izuru closes the door behind him, she lets out a heavy sigh before looking around the room. Throughout the whole school year, it had not changed a single bit. It remained completely minimalist. Whenever Chiaki asked about this, he always answered the same - "I see no purpose in decorating my room."

Not for the first time, Chiaki begins to worry about Izuru. He was a talented person - there was no denying that. She didn't even know what the extent of his abilities were. So far, she had personally witnessed his gaming and fighting prowess. But she had heard of many more - psychology, sports, sharpshooting, doctoring... if the rumor about him being the Ultimate Hope was true, then he was supposed to have every single talent that had ever been seen in Hope's Peak.

This was probably just an exaggeration though. There was no way that one person could hold so many talents... right?

Admittedly, Chiaki actually knew very little about Izuru, or his past. Izuru had mentioned that he didn't have any parents, so Chiaki had figured that talking about his life might be painful. She didn't want to bring up any sensitive topics, so she never asked about him.

To Chiaki, Izuru seemed to be the 'Tragic Prodigy' type of character. He appeared to be this sort of demigod who is good at pretty much everything he does, but had a disturbing past. This was just Chiaki's guess though - for all she knew, he could have lived a relatively simple life as an adopted child.

_Maybe I should just ask him about his life... I really want to know more about Izuru._

With perfect timing, Izuru chose that exact moment to walk back into his room. As he does, he looks up at Chiaki with an eyebrow slightly raised. "You're still here."

"You weren't gone for that long..." Chiaki glances up to the wall clock. Izuru had been gone for around 10 minutes. "And anyway, I want to ask you about something."'

"Yes?"

"..." Unexpectedly, Chiaki freezes up. It sounded so easy in her head. Just go up to Izuru and ask him about his life. Why didn't he have any parents? How did he become so talented? Why did he act so aloof?

But as Chiaki stared into his eyes, she found herself unable to ask a single thing. What if she broke the small bond that they had formed? She remembered how he had reacted when she asked him about his talent earlier.

_You're saying the same things. I hope that this not become a pattern._

So she just ended up standing there awkwardly, paralyzed with anxiety.

...

...

"You wish to ask me about my past, no?" Izuru asks, abruptly breaking the silence.

Chiaki gasps. "W-What? How did you..."

"I had simply come to that conclusion after analyzing the situation while studying your expression." Izuru says in a matter of fact manner. "I have no qualms about talking about my life."

"Oh... okay then." Chiaki says nervously. In the end, it wasn't even her who brought it up, but Izuru himself... Well, technically she did bring it up by thinking about it first, but Izuru was the one who basically read her mind.

Walking over to his desk, Izuru sits down and motions for Chiaki to do the same.

As they settle, Izuru stares straight into her eyes as he begins talking. "No more then two years ago, I was not Izuru Kamukura, but Hajime Hinata."

_Hajime... Hinata?_

"Hajime was a regular boy who attended a public high school. He got average grades and had an average life. And yet, he constantly craved for something more. He craved _talent_. He always thought that those without talent are leeches to society. He thought that the talentless, such as himself, were without purpose. So when he received a letter inviting him to participate in a project, he was intrigued."

At this, Chiaki shivered. Secret government projects never went right. Was this how Izuru became like this?

Izuru continued on, voice staying completely monotone. "As compensation, the project offered a considerable sum of money. Once Hajime's parents learned of this, they both signed the form with little hesitation. All that remained was Hajime's own consent. After some thinking, he had decided that the project itself must have been destiny. And so, after months of constant surgery and tampering, Hajime Hinata was completely erased. All that remained was an empty husk. Talent was poured into this husk, replacing Hajime. Every single talent that Hope's Peak Academy had ever researched was poured into the body. Eventually, all that remained was to give it a consciousness. That consciousness was me. I was dubbed Izuru Kamukura, and was studied for a full year. Afterwards, I was released into the general public. I wandered around aimlessly before receiving an invitation to Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Hope."

...

"That's..." Chiaki felt as if she was about to cry. That was _horrible_. Being experimented on like a lab rat for years, abandoned by your parents for money... This project had literally ruined Hajime's life. Even after he was released, he was invited back to Hope's Peak. It seemed like a cruel joke. "I'm sorry, Izuru. I really am."

Izuru slowly shakes his head. "I've told you already. To apologize for something that you have no control over is illogical."

Chiaki couldn't take it anymore. She slams her hands down on his desk as hard as she could. "It's not about logic! No one deserves having something like that happen to them! It isn't fair!"

"Hajime himself had consented to the project." Izuru deadpans.

"So what?! He probably felt cornered and had felt as if there was nothing else he could do! He seemed to already be depressed, but on top of that he saw his own parents sell their own son out! That's horrible!" Chiaki shouts, arms trembling. Tears flew down her cheeks as storms of emotion swirled around her chest. "I can only imagine how bad he felt..."

"..."

Chiaki flinches.

"Izuru? Are you...?"

While Izuru's expression remained neutral, small streams of water were going down his cheeks. His normally stoic eyes were wet with tears.

Blinking, Izuru puts a hand up to his cheek and touches it. As he pulls away, he stares down at his hand with a look of mild surprise on his face. Apparently, he hadn't realized that he had been crying.

"..."

For a long time, the pair sit there in silence, both of them with tears in their eyes. The thin silence stretched out for an impossibly long time.

There wasn't anything to say, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Chiaki had finally left his room, it was already midnight. For the first time in a while, Izuru felt something stirring in him. Contrary to his first expectations, Chiaki had been able to consistently surprise him over the school year. Somehow, she was able to bring out a remnant of Hajime's personality from within Izuru.

Staring at his bathroom mirror, Izuru casually observes himself. He had seen pictures of Hajime Hinata, and while they did bear a structural resemblance, pretty much everything else was different. Izuru seemed noticeably paler then Hajime, and his hair was much longer and remained a more soft texture. Most strikingly, Izuru's eyes were a dark shade of red, while Hajime had light green eyes.

The doctors who worked on him had told him personally that Hajime Hinata was no more. They had completely erased him. So... what had happened? When Izuru talked about Hajime's transformation, he started to feel a slight tingling sensation within him. And then when Chiaki began crying and got angry _for _him, he himself had started crying... He certainly didn't predict for that to happen.

_It's not about logic! No one deserves having something like that happen to them! It isn't fair!_

It's not about logic? Izuru had always viewed the world from a purely logical perspective. You could say that it was how he was programmed. Even so, Izuru was still able to view things from an emotional perspective. He had talents such as the Ultimate Therapist and the Ultmate Companion. However, he rarely finds a use for these talents, so he had always defaulted into rationalization.

Other then that, Chiaki had shown imperfections within his talents. While it was for gaming, which is an impractical talent to say the least, she had managed to show that it was possible for him to be lose.

Lose... The concept was alien to Izuru. For his whole existence, he hadn't even come close to losing at anything to anyone. He was made to be perfect, and that's what he is... at least, that's what he thought. But as Chiaki had proven, he was clearly not. Perhaps Hajime's lingering personality was the source for these flaws?

Izuru could probably manage to erase the last traces of Hajime from himself, but... for some strange reason, he didn't want to. It was illogical - Izuru could erase Hajime and become truly perfect. However, whenever Izuru thought about doing it, that tingling sensation appeared again.

_I suppose that Hajime is influencing my conscious. How irritating..._

As Izuru left his bathroom, his mind began to drift back to Chiaki. She was unnaturally attracted to him, and was relatively clingy, always insisting on spending time with him. If she had not stirred interest within Izuru, then he would probably find her as an annoyance.

Just what exactly was it with this girl? She was the only one here to have defied his expectations. Even Junko Enoshima, someone who shared the analyst talent, remained boring and predictable. For Chiaki to be able to surprise him, and to only have the talent of the Ultimate Gamer, was truly an enigma.

Yes, that describes her perfectly. Chiaki is an enigma.

* * *

Chiaki halfheartedly plays a game of _Pokemon Red _on her Gameboy. Normally, slow paced RPG's like this helped to calm her down, but it didn't really do much this time. Her mind was still stuck on Izuru.

Hope's Peak Academy, the school that she once felt _proud_ for being able to attend, ruined his life. They deleted Hajime's personality and experimented on him for years.

_I mean, wouldn't that practically count as murder?! Hajime is gone! His identity, his thoughts, his personality, all of it was erased! And for what? Just to see what would happen if they filled him with talent?!_

Sighing in frustration, Chiaki turns off her game console. She stares up at the sky - it was colored a bright orange, and streaks of clouds decorated it. Chiaki was sitting on a bench that was next to a large stone fountain. She came here whenever she wanted to think - the beautiful scenery and the peaceful fountain did well to clear her mind. But now, the atmosphere was ruined... she could see Hope's Peak Academy off in the distance.

Suddenly, someone sits next to her. She hadn't heard anyone approach her at all... was she really that distracted? Flinching, she looks over to her right and sees...

"I-Izuru?"

"..."

"You almost gave me a heart attack..." Chiaki sighs and pats her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I happened to see you while wandering. With nothing else to do, I had decided to approach you."

Chiaki puts a hand on her chin. "You know, you have mentioned that before - what do you mean by wandering?"

"I often walk around the school grounds, or outside of it. There is no meaning in doing so - it is just something to pass the time." Izuru replies tonelessly. "There is little else for me to do."

"Ah..." Chiaki winces. That was another thing Hope's Peak ruined for Izuru. By forcing all of this talent into him, they had sucked all of the enjoyment life had to offer out of him. By acting so aloof, Izuru had little friends. By being so _good _at everything, nothing was a challenge. By being able to predict everything that was going to happen, everything felt meaningless.

_He really is a tragic prodigy._

"Well, since you're here... do you want to do something?"

"... It's 3:43 in the afternoon. Have you eaten?"

"Huh?" Chiaki blinks. Now that he mentioned it, she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Even then, she only ate a single piece of toast. She was hungry - no, she was famished. And she hadn't even realized it. "No, I haven't eaten."

"... Let's go to the school kitchen. I can cook a meal for you."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Chiaki says hurriedly.

"I have the talent of the Ultimate Cook. I believe that I can make a satisfactory meal for you."

"Ah..." Chiaki blushes as she looks down at the ground. "Well, if you insist."

Truth be told, Chiaki felt really happy that Izuru offered to cook for her. She felt.. flattered. A nice warm feeling spread across her chest as they walk together back to Hope's Peak.

* * *

Chiaki gasps as her eyes literally begins to sparkle. Izuru had instructed her to wait in the cafeteria while he prepared some food. After only 20 minutes, he had returned...

He had returned with the _best god damned plate of food that she had ever seen in her entire life_.

The smell itself was heavenly - just a single whiff and her mouth began to produce waterfalls. She had to literally restrain herself from jumping at the plate as Izuru put it down in front of her.

But the food itself was several times better then the aroma. Thick slices of beautifully smoked salmon, garnished with onions and capers lay in a neat row on the plate. Next to it, there were two small bread rolls, freshly baked. Both seemed to be literally glowing, and as Chiaki poked one with her finger, she noticed how impossibly warm and fluffy it felt. A small brush of butter had been spread across the top, creating a glistening golden layer.

But as Chiaki glanced over to Izuru's bowl, she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. All he had was a simple looking salad with bits of carrots and fish on it.

"Does it appear satisfactory?" Izuru asks as he takes a small bite from his meal. "I admit that I had rushed it somewhat."

"Are you kidding?" Chiaki asks incredulously. "It looks better then Teruteru's cooking! This is like, a 6 star meal!"

"You haven't eaten it yet."

"Well yeah, but I seriously doubt that it will taste bad or anything."

Izuru nods slightly. "Enjoy your meal, then."

And enjoy she did. Everything about the food was _perfect_. If this was what it tasted like when Izuru had rushed it, then she couldn't even begin to imagine how it would taste if Izuru had actually taken his time with it. The texture of the salmon was impossibly fine, and every single bite brought an atomic bomb's worth of explosions into her mouth. Chiaki closes her eyes in ecstasy as flavor spread across her tongue. Even the _garnish_ was amazing. She could probably eat this stuff for the rest of her life without issue.

The bread itself was distinctively sweet, though not overwhelmingly so. As she bit down on a bread roll, she is struck by just how _fragile_ it seemed. The bread quite literally melted in her mouth, and was just the perfect temperature - extremely warm, but not uncomfortably so. Eating it seemed to spread warmth throughout her entire body.

She couldn't help herself - she began gobbling down all of it, shoveling the stuff down her mouth as fast as she could. After only 5 minutes, she had finished.

Sighing contently, Chiaki looks up from her plate and looks at Izuru. He was still eating, robotically stabbing at a few leaves and slowly putting it in his mouth. Once in a while, he picks up a carrot or fish with his fork and eats that to.

"Izuru, that was the best meal I've had in my life. Thanks for cooking for me, I really appreciate it!"

"It was not an issue." Izuru says blankly.

After a few minutes, Izuru finishes his meal. They both stand up and put their plates away, and afterwards, Chiaki asks if she can spend some time in his room.

As always, he replies with - "If that is what you wish, then I have no reason to refuse."

...

"Izuru, do you have any hobbies?" Chiaki asks tentatively as they walk together. "Like, something you do for fun."

"Time passes the same, regardless of what I do."

"Erm..."

"No." Izuru deadpans. "I have no particular activity that I do for enjoyment. I suppose that the closest thing I have to a hobby is spending time with you."

"Does that mean you have fun when we hang out?" Chiaki asks half-jokingly.

Izuru stops walking. "... I suppose so."

"... Wait, really?" Chiaki's eyes widen. Did Izuru really have fun with her? If he did, he never showed it... whenever they played games together, Izuru usually remarked on how boring everything was, so she had assumed that he was indifferent.

"Is that surprising?"

"W-Well, kind of... but I'm happy that you feel that way, Izuru." Chiaki smiles at him, eyes glistening. "You always say that you're bored, so it's nice to know that you're having some fun."

"... Chiaki."

A shiver runs down Chiaki's spine as Izuru says her name. As she thinks about it, Chiaki realizes something - for the several months that they had known each other, Izuru hadn't said her name a single time before now.

For some reason, it felt weird, hearing him say her name. Her heart felt like it was doing somersaults, and suddenly she felt herself unable to look away from him. It was strange, but not unpleasant.

Abruptly, Izuru turns to stare directly into Chiaki's eyes. "You... are a paradox." Izuru says quietly.

"Paradox...?"

"While I was being studied by researchers, they brought the greatest minds from all over the world to converse with me. I was able to predict every single one of their actions flawlessly. Even when they actively tried to remain unpredictable, I was able to find a pattern in the seemingly random."

Izuru brings his face closer to Chiaki's closing their distance a bit. It felt as if Izuru's red eyes were swallowing her whole. She could probably get lost in them forever. "You, however... I have failed to predict several times."

"H-Huh?" Chiaki blinks. "Failed to predict?"

"You, like everyone else, has a pattern. However, discrepancies appear in your pattern that I am unable to foresee. I do not know why, but I can not reliably predict you. Besides that, you create inconsistencies within even myself. Why is that?" Izuru asks, leaning in even closer. To an outsider, it would seem like that the two were kissing.

"Who are you, Chiaki Nanami?"

...

"I... I'm just a girl. Just Chiaki. I'm nobody that special... I play too many games and I can be sort of strange at times, but... that's it." Chiaki says. "Am I really unpredictable?"

"Much more so then others, yes." Izuru says, finally breaking his intense stare... thankfully. Any longer and Chiaki's head was probably going to explode. "Not only are you unpredictable, but you make _me _unpredictable to even myself. Even now, I was not planning to tell you all of this. Yet for some reason, I felt compelled to do so."

"I don't know how I should feel about this." Chiaki mutters. Right now, she didn't feel much of anything besides confusion. Izuru, this amazing vessel of pure talent, able to predict the worlds top minds, was saying that a girl like herself had him beat.

It shouldn't be possible. And yet, here Izuru was, telling her that she was surpassing his analytical abilities.

"In any case, I believe that you are interesting." Izuru says as he resumes walking to his dorm.

_Interesting..._ Chiaki thinks to herself. _Izuru thinks that I'm interesting._

Should she be flattered? Should she feel weirded out?

_I don't even know anymore..._


	7. Chapter 7

"This is where Ryota Mitarai lives, correct?"

Izuru and the Impostor are both standing in front of a dumpy looking brown door. The building that the door belonged to was a one story house - Ryota's. It was fairly plain looking, with an old coat of white paint covering it. On Izuru's request, the Impostor had brought him here to see Ryota. He was the only student of the 77th class that he had not seen yet.

"Yeah. He's probably overworking himself... as always." The Impostor sighs as he looks into a paper bag that he was holding. In it, he had some burgers that he had bought beforehand. Most of the time, Ryota never even bothered to _feed _himself. Dedication to your craft was normally good, but this was just overkill.

Taking out a key, the Impostor unlocks the door and was about to open it, when...

_*CRASH* *BANG*_

Loud smashing noises start emanating from inside of the house, causing the Impostor to freeze up. It sounded as if someone were throwing a bowling ball at the wall.

"W-What in the world?" The Impostor blinks before turning back to Izuru. "What was that?"

"I suggest you open the door and find out."

"O-Oh yeah!" The Impostor stammers, swiftly opening the door. "Ryota! What's going on?!"

_"Oooh! You didn't tell us that we would be having visitors!"_

From inside of the house, a familiar high pitched voice drifts out. Grimacing, Izuru walks past the Impostor and goes straight into Ryota's room. There, the source of the racket is located - Junko Enoshima. She was holding a baseball bat, and behind her Mukuro and Ryota were looking at him. Mukuro had lines of tears and snot running down her face from viewing Ryota's animation. Ryota was sitting down on the floor with a bewildered look on his face.

Next to him, a pile of loose boards and broken pieces of plastic lay. Judging by various damaged covers that were poking out of the rubble, it was a collection of anime and manga.

"W-Who are you?!" Ryota stammers.

"Ah! Kamukura!" Junko squeals and drops her bat on the ground as she presses both of her palms in her cheeks. "Have you finally decided to join me?"

"... I'm here to talk to Ryota." Izuru deadpans.

"Ryota! What's going on?" The Impostor finally appears, appearing next to Izuru. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine..."

"Well Kamukura, we can definitely share Ryota! In fact, why not collaborate at that point?" Junko smiles mischievously as she winks at him. "Come on, you know you wanna!"

"No."

"Ugh!" In a single blink, Junko's expression changes to one of clear disgust. "Well, you can't have Ryota! He's _mine, _you hear? Get him, sis!"

Mukuro, who was still crying and sniveling, nods and wipes her tears. She then pulls out a small pistol from her holster. Quick as lightning, she aims it at Izuru and pulls the trigger.

_*click*_

"Damn..." Mukuro curses and fumbles with her gun. Despite it being extremely well cared for and maintained, it had jammed. At the very next moment, Mukuro is knocked unconscious by Izuru who had somehow gotten behind her.

"Muku..." Junko scowls nastily at her sister who was now lying on the ground. While she was extremely disappointed, she had expected this to happen. Junko knew that Mukuro didn't stand a chance against Izuru - but what else could she do? "What a useless piece of trash."

Before she could spew out any more insults, Izuru knocks her out too. Neither Mukuro or Junko could offer any resistance at all.

"What's going on here?! Who are you?!" Ryota scrambles backwards as Izuru trains his gaze at him. Instinctively, he raise his arms up as if he was going to be attacked next.

"Do not panic. I simply wish to talk to you." Izuru says, slowly walking up to him.

"That's what this girl said! And look what happened!" Ryota cries out. "Just leave me alone, okay?!"

Ignoring his protests, Izuru roughly grasps Ryota's arm and pulls him up to a standing position. "What did you show Junko?" Izuru had seen Junko and Mukuro's faces - they both had tears in their eyes and were clearly emotionally moved.

_Ryota is an animator, so he had probably showed them the animation that Ryota had been so feverishly working on. But to make someone like Junko cry... there is likely subliminal brainwashing of some sort included within this animation._

"Ryota, it's okay. Izuru won't hurt you." The Impostor says soothingly. While he said this, he actually had no idea what Izuru would do. But since he had found his real identity out and insisted on visiting Ryota, he found it very difficult to refuse him... especially when he stared at him with those piercing red eyes.

"... Okay then." Ryota sighs heavily and sits down in front of his desktop. As he reloads his animation, he turns to face Izuru. "It's still a WIP, so don't judge it to harshly, okay?"

...

...

...

As Izuru had suspected, Ryota had used subliminal signs. He noticed that whenever the spinning gun barrel appeared, he started feeling... emotional. Putting his hands up to his cheeks, he realizes that he had started to cry, though only slightly. As for the animation itself, Izuru couldn't care less. While it definitely held quality, he could probably make a better one within a few hours. However, his ability in tampering with the subconscious was extremely refined.

"... I see. This is what Junko had seen in you." Izuru nods in understanding. And without any warning, Izuru promptly smashes Ryota's computer in with his foot. Instantly, the monitors turn off as the CPU is obliterated.

"H-HEY!" Ryota gapes at Izuru in total shock. All of those hours poured into animating this... he had just destroyed it! "What the..."

"I will replace your computer." Izuru states bluntly. "But do not include mental tampering in any of your animations. Otherwise, I will have to take further action."

"My animations!" Ignoring Izuru, Ryota grasps at the scraps of metal that were littering the floor. "All of my work! WHY?!"

"Izuru..." The Impostor shakes his head. "Was that really necessary?"

"If Junko Enoshima were to gain this power... then perhaps she could really carry out her plan of Despair. Impostor, if you intend to keep caring for Ryota, then be sure that he does not include subliminal signs in his animations." Izuru says while walking out of the room. He had gone here in order to get to know Ryota more, and even though they had not even held a normal conversation, Izuru had already gathered more then enough information about Ryota's character.

_"I don't want anything that Junko had described to happen"_

Chiaki had told him this when Junko had first visited his dorm room. Of course, she was heavily opposed to Junko's plan to spread Despair through the whole world. If he had to choose between Chiaki and Junko, Izuru would obviously be more inclined to listen to Chiaki's wishes.

_I suppose that I'm on the side of Hope then..._

* * *

Izuru opens his overflowing student mailbox. Each student at Hope's Peak had one, so if they decided to live in their dorms, that was where their mail go. Every single week, Izuru's mailbox is completely filled with envelopes. Each and everyone of them is from Junko Enoshima.

She had actually been visiting his dorm to try and talk to him some more about Hope and Despair, but Izuru turned her down every single time, with force if necessary (which was more often then not).

Not only did he have to deal with Junko this way, he had to sometimes deal with Mukuro. From time to time, she tries to kidnap him so that she could bring him to Junko. While it never worked out, dealing with her was pretty annoying.

Sighing, Izuru gathers up all of the envelopes and tosses them into a nearby garbage can without a second glance. While this may seem careless at first, Izuru had actually scanned every single piece of mail on his first glance, so he had known that all of them were from Junko.

"Oh! Izuru!"

Izuru turns around as he hears a familiar voice come from behind him. There, Chiaki along with Sonia were both waving at him while hurriedly walking over to him.

"Hi Izuru!" Chiaki greets him with a warm smile.

"Greetings, Izuru Kamukura." Sonia gives him a light bow. "I do not believe that we have been formally introduced yet." Though Izuru had been a student for several months now, he hadn't introduced himself to even half of the class.

"I am Sonia Nevermind, princess of the kingdom of Novoselic. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"... Likewise."

Eyes shining, Sonia suddenly grasps Izuru's hand. "Is it true?! Are you really a demon that had been summoned by the cult that had been rumored to be living here? Or are you maybe the ghost of the school's founder?!"

"..."

"Sonia, I told you..." Chiaki sighs and puts a hand on her shoulder. She had explained to Sonia over and over again that those rumors were false. But for some reason, she got really excited whenever she hears about how Izuru might be some sort of mythical creature or something. "Those are just rumors. Izuru isn't a ghost or anything like that, really!"

"Ah, I apologize!" Sonia hastily lets go of Izuru's hand and bows once again. "For me to show such disrespect towards your betrothed... It is improper."

Chiaki's face immediately flushes. "Sonia! I'm not engaged to him! We're just friends, really!"

That was yet another rumor that had been tossed into the mix. Since she and Izuru spent a lot of time together, people had started to think that they were a couple. It didn't exactly help that she frequently visited his room either, and that they hung out in there... alone... just the two of them.

Chiaki couldn't even imagine Izuru being in a romantic relationship with anyone. It wasn't as if she thought that he wasn't capable of showing love, but... she figures that he would have a hard time expressing anything to anyone.

_I guess I wouldn't mind if Izuru asked me out though..._

As this thought crosses her mind, she instantly shakes her head to clear it. She shouldn't be thinking about this stuff!

"Ah, I see." Sonia nods sternly. "You have not shown each other your Makangos, have you?"

"Makangos are native to Novoselic. It would be very inconvenient for a couple to get engaged if we were to share your tradition." Izuru comments. As he had the talent of the Ultimate Zoologist, Izuru had a wealth of knowledge of every known species of animal - including rare ones such as the Makango.

"Hmm..." Sonia puts a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "You are correct. I aplogize - I did not put that into consideration."

"Anyway..." Chiaki clears her throat as she tries to change the subject. All this talk of marrying Izuru was making her _extremely _uncomfortable. "What are you doing here, Izuru?"

"I was checking my mail." Izuru gestures to his open mailbox. After trashing all of Junko's junk mail, it was completely empty. This was to be expected, as Izuru had no connections to the outside world.

"Ah, that reminds me!" Sonia jumps up and starts frantically digging around her purse. "I had meant to mail something to Chiaki, but it had slipped my mind!"

"Mail something... to me?" Chiaki asks, slightly tilting her head.

"It's a gift to my dear friend! I hope that you can draw happiness from it!" Sonia says, finally bringing out a small box from her purse. She places it in her hands and smiles eagerly at her.

Slowly, Chiaki opens it and pulls out its contents. "Oh. This is..."

"Yes! It is for you and your betro- I mean, 'friend'!" Sonia nods happily as she glances over at Izuru. "Two tickets to the local amusement park! We do not have them in Novoselic, but I have heard that it is customary for couples to go on 'dates' to these amusement parks."

"..."

"It expires tomorrow, so it would be better for the two of you to go today. You'll go, correct?"

Chiaki blinks sluggishly as she does a double take. Sonia wanted the two of them to go on a date...? And to an amusement park at that. For some reason, the image of Izuru riding a merry-go-round pops into her head. She had to use all of her willpower to not burst out laughing right then and there.

"Well Izuru, are you free today?" Chiaki asks.

"I do not have anything scheduled."

"Perfect!" Sonia claps her hands enthusiastically. "Then I hope for the two of you to enjoy your time together!"


	8. Chapter 8

"I-Izuru, are you sure you're going to be okay like that?"

Since it was almost summer, it was blazingly hot outside. You could probably fry an egg on the sidewalk if you wanted to. But despite all of that, Izuru just wore his regular three piece black suit. If Izuru was anyone else, then he probably would have passed out from heat stroke by now. But Izuru being Izuru, he didn't seem bothered at all by the hot temperature.

In stark contrast, Chiaki was wearing a simple tan blouse along with a knee length skirt of the same color. The strange pair attracted quite a bit of odd stares out in public, though it was Izuru who got the most stares. Out of everyone in Japan, he was probably the only one wearing such a suit outside.

"I will be fine." Izuru replies tonelessly.

"You should at least roll up your sleeves!" Chiaki bites the bottom of her lip in worry. No matter how amazing Izuru was, he _had _to be affected by this heat... right? "I don't want you to faint or anything..."

Chiaki was dressed appropriately for the weather, and even she felt like she was going to boil. Drops of sweat had already started to form on the back of her neck as they walked around the amusement park. Not only was Izuru wearing a full suit, but he also had all of that hair! She had heard that dark colors absorbed heat better then other colors. With Izuru's black hair and suit, she couldn't even begin to imagine how Izuru could be dealing with the heat.

Ignoring her complaints, Izuru gestures ahead of them. There, a bulletin board with a giant map of the park plastered on it lay. "What do you wish to do?"

"Uhhhh... I dunno." Chiaki shrugs. "What do _you _want to do?"

"I have no particular preference."

Chiaki didn't know what she expected. Of course Izuru wouldn't have a preference for anything. For some reason, she hoped that Izuru would actually express some interest, but evidently not. He hadn't shown any interest in _anything _since she had met him.

_Well, I guess he did show interest in me..._

As that thought crosses her mind, her face immediately reddens. Thankfully, since it was so hot out, it went unnoticed. It wasn't as if he had taken _that _sort of interest in her. Even so, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed that she had attracted Izuru's attention so much. Chiaki really had no idea how _she _of all people would be able to break Izuru's predictions, but apparently she was the only one who could.

_Maybe that's why he agreed to spend time with me. Not because we're friends, but because he wants to study me or something._

Chiaki shakes her head. She shouldn't be thinking about that stuff! She was here with Izuru to have fun, so that's what she will do. And the first step towards that is to actually decide what they were going to do in the first place. But she didn't really know what the best choices were. She had only visited a park like this once or twice in her life.

_Which option would raise his affection points the most? I've never been good at dating sims..._

"Alright then, let's try the roller coasters first." Chiaki finally says. She hadn't ever ridden a roller coaster before, but the people riding them always look like they were having fun, so how bad could it be? "There's a big one over here called the Steel Dragon 2001."

"Very well."

* * *

"Never..." Chiaki gasps as she staggers down a flight of stairs. "Never again."

That was a terrible idea. Who in their right minds would _ever _ride something like that?! It felt like every single atom making up her body was vibrating intensely. Her stomach was churning and her head was spinning like a top. This was the worst that Chiaki had felt in her whole life.

Of course, Izuru wasn't bothered in the least. He had spent the entire ride with a bored look on his face, and even when the giant drop came, he hadn't even blinked.

"How are you feeling?" Izuru asks.

Leaning on the rail, Chiaki struggles to keep bile from rising up her throat. "H-Horrible... I might vomit, to be honest..."

Right as she says that, Izuru grabs Chiaki and puts her into a bridal carry, earning a surprised gasp.

"W-What are you doing?!" Chiaki yelps as she tightly grips onto Izuru's shoulder.

"Stay still and be quiet." Izuru orders, though not harshly. He had an unusually stern look on his face as he quickly glides down the stairs and heads towards a nearby cluster of wooden benches.

Izuru gently places Chiaki down on a bench. "Lie face down."

"Why...?" Chiaki weakly looks up at Izuru with a questioning look on her face. Being carried around like that only made her nausea worse, and it took all of her strength to even say that one word.

"Just do it."

To tired to argue, Chiaki does what he says and lays down on the bench. She cushions her head using her arms as she stares forward and attempts to clear her mind. If she threw up here, then it would only make her feel worse.

_Thanks to that ride, I'm probably going to be stuck like this for-_

"Ow!" Chiaki hisses as she feels a sharp, heavy pain come from the back of her neck. Soon, similar pains started sprouting up in several places on her back. She reflexively jumps up and rubs her hand on her neck and back. Standing above her, Izuru had two of his fingers in a pointing position. It takes a second for Chiaki to process what just happened.

_Was Izuru... jabbing me?_

"What... What was that for?!" Chiaki puffs her cheeks out as she glares angrily at him.

"I have the talent of the Ultimate Acupressure Practitioner. While a controversial practice, it is possible for proper handiwork to relieve pain, stress, or nausea." Izuru replies calmly. "Do you feel better?"

Chiaki blinks. Now that he mentioned it, her nausea _was _gone. She felt completely fine. In fact, it was as if she had never ridden that terrible roller coaster in the first place. "Yeah, I do! Thanks Izuru!"

_If this was an RPG, Izuru would be an amazing healer... Well, he would actually be a jack of all trades I guess._

Izuru nods. "It was not an issue."

Though she felt better, the experience with the 'Steel Dragon 2001' had completely soured her view on pretty much every other ride at the park. She was afraid that any of the other rides would make her feel as bad as that one did.

As they wandered around however, Chiaki finally found something that she felt like she could ride without much issue.

"Oh! A Ferris wheel!" Chiaki gapes as she looks up in the sky. It was _massive _and looked as if it was several stories tall. She had only ridden one of these before, but it was _way _smaller then this one. As an added bonus, there was virtually no line to ride it. "Do you want to ride it?"

"... If that is what you want, then I have no qualms."

Chiaki was actually starting to get a bit annoyed at how neutral Izuru was. He was acting almost like a mindless NPC, just doing whatever the player goes with. Sure, he was in a constant state of boredom, but couldn't he... well, liven up a little? It was as if he didn't care about anything.

Suddenly, she remembers the goal that she set for herself back when they had met for the first time.

She was going to get Izuru to open up.

Thinking back on it, Izuru _had _opened up. He was certainly more talkative then in the beginning of the school year. He seemed to actually care for her a small bit, and his complaints about boredom had died down.

It was slow progress, but... she was getting there.

* * *

"Izuru, these games are totally rigged. Let's just skip them."

This was what Chiaki said to Izuru when they came across the various 'carnival games' that were set up in the park. It was dusk out, and the two had spent their entire afternoon checking out various attractions all over the park. Chiaki knew that most if not all of these games were completely unfair. From the balloon dart throw having dulled tips, to the prize wheels being weighted, the games were just plain unfair. Most people didn't stand a chance to win anything.

Key word being 'most'.

Unperturbed by Chiaki's warning, Izuru went ahead and played. Consequently, Izuru was banned from partaking in any of the carnival games within 5 minutes (much to Chiaki's amusement).

"What are you going to even do with those things?" Chiaki gazes in awe at Izuru as he carried a huge stack of stuffed animals in his hands.

"... I suppose that I will deposit them in my room." Izuru says tonelessly. "It is rather late, so we should return to our dorms."

"Heh." Chiaki's face slowly breaks into a smile as she breaks into a fit of laughter. "Ahahahahahahahaha!"

She couldn't help it. It was just that the sight of Izuru standing there, all serious like with a giant pile of stuffed animals in his hands was too much. That, plus the thought of Izuru stockpiling them in his room was just too much.

"..."

"I... ha! I'm sorry." Chiaki looks back up at Izuru. But when she sees him standing there with his usual serious expression, that just caused her to break into laughter again.

Finally, after a few minutes, Chiaki manages to pull herself back together. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she glances back at the pile of stuffed animals. "You have so many."

"... Do you want one?"

"Huh?" That was the last thing that Chiaki had expected for Izuru to say. He was offering to give her a stuffed animal? That was... an unexpectedly affectionate gesture.

"I have plenty to spare."

"Ah. I guess I can take one." Chiaki nods.

"Here." Izuru hands her one from the middle of the pile - it was a cute bunny that had a line going down in the middle of it, separating it into two sections. One half of it was white as snow, and had a pink bow attached to its ear as well as a beady black eye. The other half was pink, had a round red eye. Its other ear was floppy and bent downwards. Strangely enough, the bunny was wearing some sort of diaper and had an outie belly button.

For some reason, Chiaki felt an immediate sense of attachment when she looked at it. She just had this overwhelming urge to protect it. Tenderly, she grasps it and hugs it to her chest. It was the softest thing that she had ever felt. "I think I'll call it... Monomi."


	9. Chapter 9

Chisa Yukizome had a fairly straight forward morning routine. She would eat breakfast, take a quick shower, get dressed, brush her teeth, and then get to work. For the entire school year, this was her routine. Since she had to get to school early, this regime was standard. However, since the end of the school year was near, this monotonous morning ritual would be broken along with her work schedule. Soon, she would have a mountain of free time on her hands.

But it wasn't as if she didn't have any fun during the school year - in fact, she really enjoyed spending time with her class. All of them were so vibrant and unique! Chisa couldn't help but smile whenever she thought of them. The fact that she would soon have to say goodbye to her class really put a damper on her usually cheery mood.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing that had been weighing her down - she was also concerned for Kyosuke Munakata.

Kyosuke was the Ultimate School Council President, and was an important member of the Hope's Peak staff roster. He was currently overseeing the construction of a secondary facility for Hope's peak overseas. But recently, Kyosuke had been getting more... agitated.

Chisa had been keeping in touch with him over the phone and called him almost daily. There, they just talked to each other about whatever topic comes to the table. Their work life, recent happenings, how their day went...

However, Chisa had noticed that during these calls, Kyosuke's mood had been souring. He sounded... angry whenever they talked about Hope's Peak. And in the most recent call, Kyosuke had given her an ominous warning - "Hope's Peak Academy is hiding something. Limit your trust."

What did he mean by that? Limit your trust?

As she stares into the mirror, she notices something strange. There was a dark shadow inside of her shower curtain. It was barely noticeable, and if it wasn't pointed out, most people wouldn't even notice it.

Putting down her toothbrush, she carefully turns behind her. Slowly, she puts her hand on the shower curtain in order to open it. That was as far as she got before she feels a sharp prickle on her cheek. Reflexively, she puts her hand up to her face. When she pulls away, a small fleck of blood was on her palm.

Immediately, she collapses onto the floor. She couldn't move anything. A terrible heavy numbness completely fills her limbs as she hears two people talking in the background. Using all of her strength, she tilts her head slightly upwards. As her consciousness starts to fade, one last image brands itself into her brain. It was a blurred image of a girl with large blonde hair, standing over her with a goofy grin.

197 days.

197 school days.

For 197 days, Chisa Yukizome had gone to school in order to teach her class. In each of those days, she was never a single minute late. Chisa was one of the only teachers to retain this consistency over the school year, and she was proud of it.

"How could my students learn anything if their teacher doesn't even show up?"

So naturally, when Chisa Yukizome appeared to be late, people were worried. It was very uncharacteristic after all. After checking with the headmaster, it was confirmed that she hadn't called in sick or anything. It wasn't cause for that much worry though - perhaps she just got caught in a traffic jam? Or maybe she just forgot to set her alarm and overslept. Either way, she would probably come to school sooner or later.

A few hours pass.

Okay then, so the school day is halfway over and Chisa hadn't shown up. Now, perhaps the 77th class could afford to panic... a little. A few of them had gone as a group into the headmaster's office in order to ask again, but they just got the same answer - that Chisa had not called in, and that she wasn't answering any calls herself.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much anyone could do except... well, wait. It wasn't as if any of them even knew where Chisa lives, so it wasn't as if any of them could go and check up on her.

A few more hours pass.

Now, it was nearly the end of the school day and no signs of Chisa appear. Since the students were nagging him so much, the headmaster actually went ahead and visited Chisa's home. When he came back, his report only served to make the students become even more worried - Chisa wasn't answering the door.

"I called in some guys from the clan to go around and look for her, but so far nothin." Fuyuhiko sighs as he shuts his phone down. "Wherever she is, she ain't in this town."

"Gragh!" Akane slams her hands down on her desk in frustration. "Screw it, I'm just gonna run out and find her myself!"

It was at that exact moment that the door to the classroom opened. Every single head immediately turns to look at who entered. Did Chisa return?

But instead of a tall orange haired girl wearing an apron, they got a brooding red eyed man with extremely long hair. For whatever reason, Izuru had apparently chosen this moment to visit the class. A loud groan emanates from

"Aw man Izuru, you got my hopes up there." Kazuichi grimaces.

"Izuru!" Chiaki quickly runs up to him with a hopeful look. Unlike her fellow classmates, the sight of Izuru gave her a boost of optimism. Out of everyone, Izuru was the person who had the highest chance of knowing where she would be. Even if he didn't, she was sure that somewhere in him, there's an Ultimate Tracker or Ultimate Detective or something. "Have you seen Ms. Yukizome anywhere?"

"... I know of Yukizome's whereabouts, yes." Izuru says nonchalantly.

...

It takes a second for everyone to process what he just said. But as soon as they do, their downcast and disappointed expressions immediately shift to more hopeful ones. Everyone (besides Chiaki, who was already standing) jumps out of their seats and rushes over to Izuru.

"Ahahahaha!" Nagito holds his hands up, eyes swirling. "As expected from the Ultimate Hope! To solve such a conundrum so effortlessly... Your talent is one that is unmatched by anything else! I'm not even fit to address your skills!"

"You know where our educator has been stowed away?" Gundham asks in apparent outrage. "Why have you not informed us of this sooner?"

"Yeah, whats with you?!" Hiyoko demands. "Just cuz your dedicated to your edgy teenager persona doesn't mean that you shouldn't try contributing to society every once in a while!"

"Guys, Izuru probably just didn't know about our situation." Chiaki says quickly. "You can't blame him for that!"

"I was fully aware of your efforts to locate her."

Chiaka mentally facepalms. Talk about unnecessary details!

Thankfully, before anyone else could express their indignation, Mahiru quickly clears her throat. "That doesn't matter. Where's Ms. Yukizome? You can tell us that, right?"

Slowly and deliberately, Izuru nods. He had long since figured out that Chisa had been kidnapped, who had kidnapped her, and where she was behind held. Once he had heard Chisa was missing, he had easily guessed exactly what happened to her. However, as a few of his predictions had been wrong recently, he went ahead and investigated anyway in order to confirm it. He had gone to her house and spotted a single strand of strawberry blonde hair - that was basically all the confirmation that he had needed.

As for where Chisa was, he had predicted that as well. But as investigating there would alert Junko to his presence, he had decided that it was unnecessary to confirm it.

"Well? The hell are ya waiting for?" Fuyuhiko asks. "Lead us to her already!"

Wordlessly, Izuru turns and starts towards where Chisa was without looking behind him to check if the others were following him. The location of Chisa was the secret underground passage in the Izuru Kamukura statue. This statue wasn't a statue of the Ultimate Hope Izuru, but rather the Izuru who he was named after - the school's founder. If you pushed on a secret slab on the state's base at the same time you stepped on a secret tile on the floor, then a staircase is revealed in almost a cliche fashion.

When they finally reach the statue, Izuru opens the secret passage for them. As expected, all of them were shocked that such a passage even existed in the first place.

"Woah woah woah! This is crazy!" Ibuki gasps dramatically as she peers down the long staircase.

"Well?!" Akane shouts, slamming her fists together. "Is Yukizome down there?"

"Ye-"

Before Izuru could even finish his sentence, Akane sprints down the flights of stairs, shouting Chisa's name all the while.

"Akane!" Nekomaru yells, trailing behind her. "Keep your patience!"

As everyone else follows behind them, Izuru and Chiaki are the only ones who lag behind.

"Um, Izuru?" Chiaki says tentatively.

"What is it?"

"Thank you. Thanks for helping us find our teacher. I don't know why Ms. Yukizome is down there, but... I'm happy that we were able to find her."

Izuru's frown only deepens as Chiaki expresses her gratitude. Chiaki's thanks were misplaced - for now. Chisa had been captured by Junko for several hours now, and it was entirely possible that she was dead, or worse, driven insane. For the first time since his existence, Izuru feels something bubbling up inside of him. It was a heavy feeling, one that he was completely alien to. Even so, he knew what it was.

It was guilt.

Guilt for not telling them of this sooner, guilt for not saving Chisa herself, guilt for not stopping Junko... But why? Even now, Izuru was bored. The other students had reacted exactly the way he thought they would when he told them about Chisa's location. He had even predicted Chiaki staying behind to thank him. But now that she was thanking him, for some absurd reason, he felt guilt. It was illogical - he had done much worse and felt no guilt at all. So why now?

He couldn't help it. When he looked at Chiaki, smiling happily at him, he just felt... well, he just felt bad. Like he was deceiving her somehow.

_Chiaki... now, she had given me the experience of feeling 'guilt'._

_Interesting._

"Um, Izuru?" Chiaki asks, now slightly worried. Izuru had just been standing there, staring off into space without saying anything. "Are you-"

"Let's go." Izuru says curtly. Before Chiaki could respond, Izuru grasps Chiaki by the arm and takes off. He ran as fast as he could without causing Chiaki to trip or fall over.

"H-Hey, izuru!" Chiaki gasps as she struggles to keep up. "Can't you slow down?"

"Chisa Yukizome is in potentially mortal danger." Izuru says flatly as they pass a surprised Akane. "She may already be dead."

"What?!" Chiaki cries out. "What happened to her?!"

"... She was kidnapped by Junko Enoshima."

"Junko... Enoshima?"

Chiaki had heard that name before. She's a celebrity, appearing everywhere on fashion magazines. At Hope's Peak, she is known as the Ultimate Fashionista. Being invited here really only boosted her fame further. But... she kidnapped their teacher? Why? How could a fashionista even do something like that to Chisa? Chiaki had seen Chisa's talents at work - she was the Ultimate Housekeeper, but she had some... miscellaneous talents. She had even seen Chisa hold her own in mock sword fights with Peko.

Now that she thought about it, didn't they meet once before? She could vaguely remember meeting her and her sister a while ago, near the start of the school year. She... she visited Izuru's dorm, didn't she? WIth her sister, Mukuro. They tried to recruit him into something... something about despair?

As they finally reach the bottom of the stairs, they find a relatively dark room. The only source of light was a large projector that was playing a strange video and a single candle. It appeared to be connected to a small laptop. The harsh blue light caused Chiaki's eyes to squint as she looked at the rest of the room. Other then a single chair and table, it was completely empty.

Well, there was actually something else there. Three somethings in fact.

Junko Enoshima, Mukuro Ikusaba, and Chisa Yukizome.

Junko Enoshima was standing at a corner, eating popcorn out of a bag while looking at the projector. Meanwhile, Chisa appeared to be restrained to a chair and was faced torwards the projector. Behind her, Mukuro was holding a pair of iron skewers, and had just driven them into Chisa's head. Before Mukuro could do anything else though, Izuru rush forwards and removed the skewers from her head. As Mukuro turns around, Izuru jabs her in the temple, causing her to once again immediately fall unconscious.

He then turns around and throws a skewer at the laptop. It flies straight and true, piercing the main body of the laptop. It abruptly shuts down, causing the projector to turn black. Consequently, the room darkens considerably. Chiaki could barely see what happened next - from out of seemingly nowhere, Izuru pulled out a lengthy rope. He then forcibly tied Junko up, ignoring her loud protests.

At the same time, loud footsteps echo out from behind her. Turning around, she sees that her classmates had finally arrived.

"Hey, why is it so dark in here?" Kazuichi asks. "Who the hell even uses candles anymore?!"

"Teruteru, keep yer fuckin hands to yourself!" Fuyuhiko snaps. "Now's not the time for your bullshit!"

"Sorry!"

Izuru, who had just finished untying Chisa, picks her up and hefts her over his shoulder. As soon as the projector had turned off, she had passed out. Izuru turns to face the other students. "Physically, Chisa Yukizome is relatively unharmed. Though I can not vouch for her mental state."

"What happened to her?" The Impostor asks.

"I will explain once we relocate her to a more suitable place. For now, I request that someone carries Mukuro and Junko as well."

"Hey, I'm right here you know!" Junko complains. "Also, I thought you were supposed to be cool, Kamukura! But you're just a lame Hope fanboy like the rest, huh?"

"I'll carry the unconscious one." Nekomaru grunts. "Akane, carry the blonde."

Izuru nods. "Then let's go. Chisa requires a medical evaluation."

"I-I can do that if I need to!" Mikan timidly raises her hands. She couldn't bring herself to look at Izuru, so she just stared down at her feet. "I-I'm a nurse, so..."

"You will suffice."

Junko had attempted to brainwash Chisa, that much was clear. The video in question had been several montages of extreme torture and gore videos, the ones that you couldn't even find on the internet. Izuru didn't know if Chisa had been fully brainwashed or not - he didn't trust himself to make an evaluation right now. Despite staying calm on the outside, his heart rate had slightly increased. While it wasn't that dramatic of a change, to Izuru, it was a colossal one. He couldn't recall a time where he had felt any bit of anxiety at all. But now here he was, actually feeling nervous.

Yes, he was concerned for Chisa's well-being. But it wasn't that simple. He was only worried because he knew that Chiaki was worried. If she wasn't someone who meant something to Chiaki, then Izuru would probably have not tried to save her.

_Chiaki..._

_It always comes back to her, doesn't it?_


	10. Chapter 10

Fortunately, Chisa ended up alright. Though she was mentally tortured by Junko for who knows how long, she was still able to smile at her students when she woke up. According to Mikan, she should probably take the rest of the year off for her work. But Chisa had insisted that it would be better for her to spend her time with the class, and that she was just tired.

As promised, Izuru had explained most of what happened to her.

"Junko Enoshima, along with her sister Mukuro Ikusaba, are obsessed with a concept known as Despair. They planned to throw this class into Despair by forcing their beloved teacher into Despair." Izuru glances pointedly at Junko who was sitting in a corner, still tied up. When she noticed that he was staring at her, she stuck her tongue out and turned away. "She had kidnapped her and forced her to watch a series of gore videos that were overlayed with edited audio and visual effects in order to brainwash her. When this didn't work however, Mukuro had attempted to use outside stimuli. I stopped her before they could go far with it."

"Junko... isn't she just a fashion model?" The Impostor asks. "One that is generally described as ditsy at that. How would someone like her pull off a plan like this?"

"She has the talent of the Ultimate Analyst." Izuru says. "Meaning she can predict most of what's going to happen. Your behavior, your thoughts, your actions... all of it."

"Thatssss right baby!" Junko squeals. "I'm completely omniscient! I know _everything_!"

"She is not omniscient." Izuru deadpans.

As he says this, the headmaster walks into the infirmary. He had a deeply concerned look etched into his face as he goes over to Chisa. "Yukizome, how are you feeling?"

"I'm just tired, that's all." Chisa says, weakly waving her hand. "I should be ready to get back to teaching after some sleep though."

"Yukizome, you must not overwork yourself. I understand that you had just went through a mentally taxing ordeal. It would be fine for you to take an extended leave for the remainder of the school ye-"

"Absolutely not!" Chisa manages to object firmly, despite her haggard state. "I won't leave my students behind! Especially not during the final stretch for the year!"

"But Yukiz-"

"No objections. I will be fine."

"..."

Chisa gives him a reassuring smile. "I promise, okay?"

Sighing, Kirigiri rubs the bridge of his nose. "In any case, I have reported this incident to the authorities. Junko and her accomplice will be prosecuted in a court of law."

Hope's Peak has always covered up Junko's various misdemeanors. This was because of her rare analyst talent - she was too valuable to give up. But this was taking it way too far. Not even Hope's Peak board of trustees would be able to cover something like this up.

"WHAAAAAT?!" Junko screams. "Prosecuted? I'm going to _jail_? Are you serious?! That's the lamest punishment you could have given me!"

Scooching over to Mukuro, Junko begins to kick her in the face. "Muku! They're actually going to send us to jail! Can you believe it? Isn't that ridiculous?"

As she was still unconscious, Mukuro didn't respond.

"Please, leave the issue to me. I will ensure that this clears up as cleanly as possible. You students should get back to your dorms." Kirigiri shakes his head in apparent disgust, face twisted into a tight grimace. "For something like this to happen in my campus... it is unthinkable."

* * *

Chiaki was a rather sharp girl. She could usually pick out small details and had a pretty good intuition. This proved pretty useful in mystery games such as _Phoenix Wrong _and _Dragonronpa_. However, when it came to things about her own emotions and social ques, she could be... slow.

Exhibit A: Izuru Kamukura.

When Chiaki had met him for the first time, she had immediately taken a keen interest in him. That interest grew to a sort of awe when she realized that he was better at video games then _she _was. So she started to spend as much time as possible with him. She _wanted _to be with him. She felt this compulsion to just break through Izuru's wall and become his friend.

Not only did she want to become Izuru's friend, but she also wanted Izuru to become friends with everyone else. While that hadn't really happened, (Izuru acted as cold as ever to his classmates) she _had _become Izuru's friend...

_I think._

While Chiaki had openly acknowledged Izuru has her friend, Izuru had never actually called her his friend. That could mean that Izuru didn't see her in such a friendly light, but...

_No. Izuru is my friend. It's as simple as that_

After a while, Izuru had begun to change. The wall that he had set around himself had begun to thin out. He was extremely reclusive, not caring about anything at all. He always complained about boredom and was extremely colds towards everyone. While he was still cold and reclusive now, he definitely cared a little bit. Plus, his complaints about boredom had died down significantly. As Izuru changed, so did Chiaki. She was anti-social and used to never even attempt to initiate conversations. She always just looked down at a screen and ignored everyone else. But now, she could act like... well, act like a normal person.

Eventually, the mere mention of 'Izuru' was enough to make her heart start racing. She had no idea why, but she had started to get really nervous when she was around Izuru.

Then, Izuru had said _those _things to her. He had expressed interest in her. That day, as soon as she got home, she booted up her computer. She then proceeded to buy and download a dating sim. It was rather generic, being filled with boys that fit pretty much every stereotype out there. And of course one of those stereotypes would be the brooding emo guy.

She went for that one.

Dating sims were her worst genre by far. It was actually the _only _genre that she was bad at. She could never pick up on subtle hints in the character's texts and was terrible at picking dialogue options. But even so, she kept replaying this sim over and over again until she got the 'good' ending.

After that, she only had gotten even more confused about Izuru. This was around the time when Izuru had gone with her to the amusement park. Why was she so attached to the rabbit doll he had given her? Why did she keep flashing back to when Izuru had carried her down a flight of stairs? Why did she think about how sturdy his arms were and how she was so close to him that she could pick out details present on his face?

It was only during the middle of summer vacation that she realized.

It was only after she was polishing up her 4th dating sim game that she realized.

This game had a character pretty similar to Izuru. Cold and unfriendly, red eyes, and he even had long hair. Even his name was close to Izuru - Isura. Naturally, this was the character that Chiaki had pursued for this dating sim. But as she played, Isura had eventually said something that caused Chiaki's brain to... click.

Isura had told her that she was boring.

"..." Chiaki blinks sluggishly as she reads this. She then thinks back to her other playthroughs.

_Why am I practicing dating sims...? Actually, why am I picking the characters that are similar to Izuru?_

...

...

...

Finally, she realized.

_Do I have a crush on Izuru?_

* * *

Izuru quickly skims through a newspaper. Caught in a cloud of boredom, he had picked one up randomly on a whim. He already knew what was going to be in the newspaper, but he decided to read it anyway. It wasn't as if there was anything else to do.

**"Famous Model convicted! Enoshima revealed to be a psychopath?"**

_That puts an end to that._

Sighing he puts the paper down and looks around. As he had nowhere left to go, the school let him stay in his dorm. The room hadn't changed a single bit since he had started living here. It had been empty when he first starting staying here, and it was still empty by the time the school year was over.

So why did he feel like something was missing?

It was a powerful nagging feeling, one that annoyed Izuru to his core. It was illogical - literally nothing had changed in his dorm. So why did he feel as if there was something that should be here, but isn't?

Scowling, Izuru stands from his desk and takes a look around his dorm. He scans every single inch of the place, until...

Izuru picks up a single strand of hair. It was slightly curled, and light pink. For a moment, Izuru just stands there. His usually sharp eyes cloud over as he stares at this single hair.

...

So, that was it? Truth be told, Izuru had not seen Chiaki in several weeks. She had no idea that he was still living in his dorm, so she never came to visit anymore. Instead of wandering around town like he did one year ago, he instead spent most of his time indoors. He only went out to bring food and water back into his dorm.

He didn't own a phone either, so it wasn't as if Chiaki could call or text him. In other words, they were pretty much completely separated.

Izuru... was bothered by this.

_Why?_

_I had taken an interest in Chiaki, but only because her presence caused my predictions to become unreliable. She was an interesting specimen to observe. But now, even while I'm not near her, my behavior is changed. I_ _s that why I feel so attracted to Chiaki? I have been searching for an answer to my boredom ever since I had been brought to this world. Is Chiaki my answer after all?_

Thinking back on it, he hadn't felt an extreme sense of boredom while he was with Chiaki. While still bored, it felt... tolerable. But since school was over and he had stopped meeting her, Izuru felt that crippling boredom touch him again.

If Chiaki was truly the solution for his boredom, then... perhaps he should make more of an effort to be with her. While he didn't know where she lived, if he wandered around, he was sure that he could bump into her eventually. If not by sheer coincidence from his Ultimate Luck, then he could simply deduce where she is.

But it was rather irritating that Izuru hadn't realized this sooner. Why had it taken so long for him to realize that Chiaki was a solution to his boredom?

_I have had a year to come to that conclusion... yet I hadn't._

Thinking back on it, Izuru realizes that his behavior had become extremely unusual. He had done and said many unnecessary things, with seemingly no purpose. Why had his behavior changed so much?

Well, the answer was the same. The answer to everything he had been wondering about was the same. To his boredom, to his strange behavior, to his confusing emotions, the answer to these things were all the same.

He should have realized it much, much sooner.

_Chiaki Nanami..._


	11. Chapter 11

Chiaki stares out the window. It was quite bright out, but tinges of oranges were already streaking the sky. After some recollection, she had decided that she wasn't in the mood for video games. Instead of playing dating sims, talking to guys that _looked _like Izuru, she would much rather talk to the real thing.

_But where is he?_

Sighing in frustration, Chiaki puts her hand up to her forehead. _I'm such an idiot... I didn't ask for his phone number or e-mail! Do I even want to stay in touch with him?_

Of course, she _did _want to stay in touch with Izuru. But for whatever reason, she didn't ask for any contact information during the last day of school. In fact, she didn't even talk to him that much that day.

Mentally cursing herself, she starts pacing around her room. What could she do...? If she didn't find a way to contact Izuru, she might really loose his friendship. There wasn't any guarantee that Izuru would come to school next year - she knew that he was a drifter. In fact, there wasn't any guarantee Izuru would even _be _in Japan next year.

"Ah, screw it." Chiaki mutters under her breath. Without a second thought, she opens her door and runs outside. She had no idea where she was going, but she had one goal in mind.

_Izuru._

* * *

Once again, Izuru stands in his bathroom and stares into the mirror. Physically, he hadn't changed much. However, Izuru's keen observation skills could pick out some differences. His sharp red eyes had rounded somewhat - they were no longer as piercing as they used to be. His normally cold expression had also softened a slight degree.

It was interesting. Slowly but surely, Izuru was changing - both physically and mentally. But what would the end result for these changes be?

_Change. Change is good._

Change brought new experiences. _Different _experiences. That was all that Izuru had ever wanted. But if Izuru wanted to change further, he needed to be with Chiaki. She was a necessity.

Slowly, Izuru walks out of his bathroom. Chiaki's location was unknown. However, she would probably be easy to find. The problem was if she would be willing to spend time with him. During the last day of school, Chiaki hadn't talked to him much and didn't ask him for any way to contact him. Did this mean that she was trying to break him off?

Several evaluations of Chiaki's personalty told him otherwise. Despite this, the slim possibility kept eating away at him. To worry like this was illogical. In fact, most of Izuru's thoughts were illogical these days... well actually, emotional would probably describe his thoughts better.

Now _that_ was a word that Izuru would have never thought to describe himself with. 'Emotional'.

Well, he was finding himself being dumbfounded by more and more things recently, why not one more thing to add onto the pile? Sure, Izuru was experiencing emotions right now. And these emotions told him that he needed to find Chiaki. Why not?

Shaking his head, Izuru swiftly walks out of his dorm room. He was going to go outside, but not for food or water. He had one goal in mind.

_Chiaki._

* * *

_"Wandering around aimlessly, without purpose."_

Chiaki recalls this quote from Izuru as she walks around town, eyes scanning for any sight of him. That was one of his hobbies, so perhaps she actually had a good chance of finding him this way. It was kind of funny that Chiaki was wandering around to find a wanderer, but she didn't draw any humor from this situation. She had already been walking around for half an hour and there seemed to be no sign of Izuru.

The small streaks of orange that had tinted the sky had grown into large streams. Soon, these streams grew into oceans As the time passed, so did Chiaki's energy. Initially, she run around the city with an almost manic energy. But now, she couldn't bring herself to do more then a speedwalk. She was _tired_.

She even asked passing pedestrians if they had seen Izuru. He would definitely stand out from a crowd, so she figured that if he was out here _someone _must have caught a glimpse of him. But unfortunately, no one saw anyone that fitted his description.

For several hours she had been circling around, searching everywhere. She even checked inside of various stores and buildings, as if Izuru would for some reason be loitering inside one. But there really was no sign of him.

"I really am wandering aimlessly..." Chiaki mutters to herself. "Where in the world is Izuru?"

For the hundredth time that day, Chiaki desperately looks around her. However this time, something catches her eye. Off in the distance, she sees the tip of Hope's Peak Academy. Even from so far away, the building was visible and stood out. The glare of the sun reflects off of the building, causing Chiaki to squint a little as she stares at it.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't even thought to check the area around Hope's Peak. It was closed for the summer, so it hadn't crossed her mind. But out of everywhere, that might actually be the place where Izuru was _most _likely to be at. What if he had decided to stay in his dorm? He had mentioned that he didn't have any other home at one point.

With newfound determination, Chiaki quickly sprints off to Hope's Peak. Izuru _had _to be there. There was no where else he could be!

* * *

Scowling, Izuru glares at the sky. Since when did time go by so fast? Before he knew it, the sky had turned fully orange, and yet there was no sign of Chiaki anywhere. Time had always passed slowly of Izuru - drowning in boredom, the seconds felt like hours. But now, seconds were just regular seconds. Izuru had confidence that he could easily find Chiaki. He had countless talents that could help him track down a person, and if all else failed, he could still rely on his luck.

But for once in his life, his talent fails him. Somehow, for some reason, he can't find a single trace of Chiaki. Perhaps she was travelling out of Japan? It was summer, so the idea was not entirely out of the question. If that was the case, then Izuru would have no chance of going after her - he didn't even have a passport.

Izuru turns to face Hope's Peak. Even from a few kilometers away, he could still see the outline of the building in the sunset.

_Hope's Peak... the school that gave me talent._

In a sense, Hope's Peak had stolen his life. Any chance for livelihood and joy seemed to be stolen with it. He was bitter, but he wasn't mad. He knew that Hajime had gone into this project of his own free will. He was a talent-less leech, albeit one that was self aware. It was only natural for someone like him to do anything for talent. It seemed irrational to get mad at something he had brought upon himself.

As he stares at the outline of Hope's Peak, a sudden jolt runs across his chest. It was as if someone had shocked him with a taser. He had effectively combed most of the city, and not a single clue of Chiaki had appeared... that could mean that she truly was not here.

But Izuru's logical reasoning brought him to one conclusion. Or was it emotional reasoning? He couldn't really tell the difference yet. At any rate, Chiaki _had _to be at Hope's Peak. Whether she had arrived there while he was searching or if she was always there, Izuru doesn't know. But it was the only place he hadn't thoroughly explored. He had rushed out without bothering.

It seems that his short search would soon come to an end.

* * *

Chiaki stares down at her feet, unable to do or say anything. She was so _sure _that he would be here, and yet... not a single trace. She had called his name, looked everywhere, even broke _into _the school by jumping over a gate. He wasn't anywhere. Not inside the school, not in the dorms, not near the school grounds, _nothing_.

She was sitting on the base of a large stone fountain - this was a place that she always went to in order to clear her mind. The last time she had been here, she was sitting on the bench next to the fountain. Izuru had come by and offered to cook her a meal.

Eyes glazing over, she recalls those events. She remembered that day vividly - he had cooked her the best lunch she had ever eaten. Smoked salmon topped with onions and capers as well as two bread rolls.

After that, he had walked her to his room... and then...

_"Who are you, Chiaki Nanami?"_

Right as he said that, she felt her heart start doing somersaults. She could also tell her face was burning up completely. It didn't exactly help that he had his face so close to hers either...

_Was that when I started crushing on him?_

Thinking back on it... the answer was no. She had probably started liking him ever since they met. When he revealed that he knew what Gala Omega was and that he was actually _good _at it, then... that was probably the turning point.

From her hoodie pocket, Chiaki pulls out her Gameboy and boots it on.

_Gala Omega_

Instead of playing though, she simply stares at it. In stark contrast to its rather plain gameplay, the title screen for it was unusually bright and fancy. The words 'Gala Omega' were printed in a large green font, clashing with its dark blue background.

After a few minutes, Chiaki slowly brings her hand up to her hair. She unclips the hair pin that she had been wearing for years - a pixel model of the Gala Omega ship. Shifting her eyes to the hair clip, she shuts off her Gameboy and stuffs it back inside of her pocket.

On the very first day of school, Izuru had recognized it.

_"A Gala Omega hair pin..."_

He was the only one out of the whole class to know that it was from Gala Omega. His recognition of it had prompted her to let him play on her Gameboy... was he as good as she was?

Of course, the answer was yes. Not only was he as good as her, he was better. While they had tied high scores, his movements were much more perfect then hers. Watching him play was beautiful. It was the most perfect gameplay that Chiaki had ever seen in her life. She instantly recognized the skill gap between the both of them.

_What I wouldn't give to see him play Gala Omega again..._

Letting out a small growl of frustration, Chiaki is suddenly filled with an irrational sense of anger.

_All of this was my fault... How could I forget something as simple as asking Izuru for contact information?! It's because my mind is constantly on video games... Stupid, dumb video games... Now, I might not ever see him again!_

Suddenly, Chiaki throws her hair clip as far away as she could. She could see it glint slightly in the sunlight as it flies away from her. As she threw it though, she instantly became overwhelmed with regret. She had won it in a gaming contest a very long time ago. It was the first time that someone other then herself recognized that she was talented in gaming. Ever since she won it, she had always kept it close to her... and now she had thrown it away in a petty tantrum.

Slowly, Chiaki tilts her head down and closes her eyes. It was getting late. On top of that, she had spent the entire day running around like a maniac, trying desperately to find Izuru.

She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was to rest. That's why she didn't say anything, or even open her eyes as she hears someone sit down next to her.

* * *

As soon as Izuru entered the grounds to Hope's Peak, he immediately went straight to his dorms. There were only two places where Chiaki would be if she was really here - his dorms, and at that fountain.

But as he reaches his room, he sees no one standing outside of his door. He remembers that Chiaki used to wait out here for hours, all for the opportunity to be with him. She constantly knocked on his door and even if he didn't answer, she just sat out here.

Though it was pointless, he unlocks his room and walks in. After a quick scan, he confirms that she wasn't here.

That meant that she had to be at that fountain.

She had to be.

_She had to be._

Breaking off to a brisk jog, Izuru makes his way outside. The stone fountain was located a fair distance away from the school's main building. If he didn't hurry there, perhaps Chiaki would decide to go home... it was rather late after all.

But as he approaches the fountain, his worries are immediately calmed as he notices two things.

First, there was Chiaki's hair clip. For some reason it was on the ground, caught snugly between a few blades of grass. For a split second, Izuru thought that something may have happened to her, but the second thing he noticed had disproved that thought.

It was the distant figure of Chiaki, sitting on the base of the stone fountain.

Picking up Chiaki's hair clip, he walks over to her. Her head was tilted downwards and her eyes were closed. She looked as if she were sleeping.

Izuru sits down on the fountain next to her. If she noticed him, then she didn't show it. She just remained completely still with that peaceful expression on her face. In fact, if Izuru were anyone else, he probably would think that she was actually sleeping. However, he noticed that her breaths were deep and slightly irregular. This indicated that she was awake.

As Izuru studies her for the next few minutes, he eventually realize that something about her appearance was... off.

Unconsciously, Izuru slowly raises his right hand towards Chiaki. It was the hand that was holding her hair clip. Before he could even realize what he was doing, he carefully clips it on to her hair, at the exact same spot where it was usually adorned.

It attaches smoothly.

As soon as he does this, Chiaki finally reacts. She flinches slightly, as her eyes fly open. She immediately turns her head over to Izuru. The two just stare at each other, neither person willing to say anything.

They just look at each other, unblinkingly. The deafening silence spreads through the air like a thick fog.

It stays like that for a while.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> # of '...'s: 352
> 
> # of '...'s this chapter: 40
> 
> I need to work on that...

After what seemed like an eternity, Chiaki finally opens her mouth.

"I-Izuru?" Chiaki asks in a trembling voice.

_Am I dreaming? I must have nodded off while I was resting on the fountain. This is just a hallucination._

"Chiaki."

Chiaki suddenly rushes forward, pulling Izuru into a hug. But since they were both sitting down, the hug ended up being a bit awkward. It didn't matter though - all that mattered was that he was _here_. No, he was not a hallucination. He was very much real. As she locks her arms around him, she sinks her face into his chest and closes her eyes. She could feel his soft, silky hair tickle her face. Despite being so robotic, he was actually really warm...

_Warm. comfortable._

She quickly pulls away from Izuru and looks away, embarrassed. Her face quickly becomes a likeness of the reddening sky.

"Sorry."

Izuru blinks. "There is nothing to apologize for."

"I just hugged you so suddenly. I mean, you don't really seem like the type to... w-well, the type that likes physical contact." Chiaki says awkwardly. It was true - he seemed like the type that would kill you if you shook his hand for too long. In fact, everything from his pale skin to his sharp red eyes suggested that Izuru would be cold to the touch, like a corpse.

But as Chiaki now knew, he was warm and very much alive.

"There is no reason for me to dislike physical contact." Izuru says in a matter of fact manner. "If you wish to hug me, then I have no qualms with your decision."

"You don't dislike it, but do you like it?" Chiaki asks. "Izuru, it's okay for you to have your own preferences, you know?"

"I have preferences."

"Oh yeah?" Chiaki asks with a raised brow. "Like what?"

"I prefer to spend time with you above most other activities." Izuru says simply.

"I-I see." The blush that was present on Chiaki's face spreads. She knew that was only because he wanted to study her, but for him to say it so bluntly...

"Anyway..." Chiaki says, quickly changing the subject. "Where were you?"

"I was in the city. Looking for you."

Chiaki sits up and stares at him incredulously. "You were looking for _me_?"

"Yes. When I didn't find you, I returned to Hope's Peak."

Chiaki shakes her head. At the exact same time Chiaki was searching for Izuru, Izuru was in turn searching for _her_. This must have meant that both of them were circling around each other until Chiaki finally decided to go to Hope's Peak. If she had just stayed put, then maybe Izuru would have found her a long time ago. It was just a twist of bad timing.

As she thinks this, Izuru's expression shifts slightly. It seemed that he had guessed what had happened as well. "You were searching for me as well."

"Yeah."

"I see." Izuru says. Then, something truly amazing happened. The corners of Izuru's mouth slightly tilt up as his eyes soften. His normally stoic face breaks down into a more peaceful expression. For a second, Chiaki couldn't even comprehend what had just occurred. It was impossible - not in a million years did Chiaki ever think that this would happen.

Izuru was smiling.

Not once during the whole year did Chiaki see Izuru smile. In fact, she had rarely even seen his face deviate from his normally apathetic expression. She felt that she should probably take a picture of this just so that she could preserve the moment - she might never see it again. Inexplicably, she began to smile in return.

"I appreciate that you were concerned." Izuru says. And just as abruptly it had appeared, his smile vanishes. The only trace of his smile that had remained was the warm feeling in her chest.

"Were _you_ concerned about me too?"

"... I suppose so." Izuru says.

"O-Oh. I see."

What he had experienced during his search for Chiaki... there was no denying that he was worried. He felt as if that it was necessary for him to find her. Izuru had been filled with anxiety for the whole day, up until he found Chiaki. When he found her, all of that anxiety completely disappeared. It was illogical - it wasn't as if Chiaki was vital to his survival or safety. It wasn't logical but Izuru now knew that it was emotional. For whatever reason, Izuru felt an emotional connection to Chiaki.

_Emotions._

Izuru knew how to read and manipulate emotions. It was one of his many talents. However, he always had trouble _feeling _emotions. This wasn't to say that he was an unfeeling robot - Izuru could always emote. However, he rarely felt any strong emotions. The extent of his feelings were basically just annoyance and disappointment.

But now, Chiaki had given him emotions. Joy, anxiety, relief, sorrow... and he could predict that if he were to stay with her, then he would probably experience more.

"Chiaki."

As Izuru says her name, a shiver runs down her spine. She would probably never get used to it. She couldn't explain it but whenever he says her name, it just feels... _right_. It almost felt intimate.

"I would like to stay by your side for the foreseeable future... if that is alright with you."

...

"W-What?!" Chiaki yelps, jumping up in shock. As a result, she nearly fell backwards directly into the fountain. Thankfully, she manages to upright herself before that could happen.

Chiaki breathes a sigh of relief before turning to Izuru with a bewildered look. "What do you mean by... stay by my side?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I wish to be with you." Izuru deadpans.

"B-But... that is, I mean, w-why?" Chiaki stammers, face bearing a striking resemblance to a tomato. Instantly, she mentally facepalms. What a stupid question! She just blurted it from her mouth without even thinking. But she couldn't help it - the way Izuru had said that... how could he say it with such a straight face?!

Izuru glances up at the sky as he ponders in silence. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke.

"Chiaki, you are... special. You have made me feel emotions that I have never felt before. As I have recently learned, I can not predict my own emotions." Izuru says, looking back at Chiaki. His expression could only be described as serene. "That is what I have been craving ever since I was brought to this world. Unpredictability. I don't want to know what the future holds for me. I had been searching for an answer... and I may have found it within you. Chiaki, you have given me a reason to live. That's why I want to stay by your side. Whether you treat me as a tool for my talents, as a companion, or as something else... that is up to you. I only wish to be with you."

"..." Chiaki couldn't think of anything to say. What _could _she say to that? Her mind felt as if it were shutting down. If only this were a video game, then she would have some dialogue options she could just pick from. Instead, she had to think of some sort of response herself. It was unfair.

"I... ah..." Chiaki coughs into her hand. "Sorry... that is to say..."

While Chiaki fumbles with her words, Izuru just sits there, staring at her patiently.

"You know, I-Izuru..."

"..."

"I've always had a crush on you!" Chiaki blurts out. Immediately, she wished she could shove those words back into her mouth. Where in the world did that come from?! Why did she say that?! She hadn't even been thinking about telling him that, and yet... it just came out with zero warning.

"..." Izuru hadn't reacted at all. In fact, it was as if he hadn't even heard her.

"I..." Chiaki starts.

"Does this mean you wish to be in a romantic relationship?" Izuru asks. It was nearly imperceptible, but if you looked closely, you could see the hints of a blush on Izuru's cheeks. But in the sunset, it could have been written off as the light coming from the sun.

For some reason, as soon as Izuru asks this, his head starts pounding. Steam seems to almost cloud his vision as a distinct buzzing noise fills his ears. Yet again, Chiaki had shown him a new experience... was this also an emotion? Perhaps it was embarrassment.

"Because if that is what you want, then-"

"Izuru!" Chiaki suddenly shouts. Out of nowhere, a fiery look appears in her eyes as she grasps both of his hands. Despite her newfound vigor, a blush was still visible on her cheeks. "Don't give me some neutral statement like 'If that is what you want'! Tell me _your _decision!"

"My decision..." Izuru echoes.

"Do _you _want to be in a... a romantic... I mean, do you want to be my boyfr..." Chiaki sighs heavily and shakes her head. She couldn't bring herself to say something so _blunt_. Her throat just seemed to close up. "Do you want to be... closer?"

...

Izuru looks at Chiaki's hands which were still wrapped around his. Her warmth seemed to seep into him, causing his heart rate to go up. Despite his calm expression, he felt... anxious. Despite the fact that he was not in any danger, he was extremely anxious and almost _scared_.

Did he want to be her boyfriend? Izuru thought about it for a few seconds. That was all he needed.

"I... I want to be closer to y-"

Before Izuru could even finish his sentence, Chiaki leans forward and kisses Izuru. It was an action that was purely instinctual, one that she hadn't even meant to do. Her body just moved without consulting her brain. His lips were incredibly soft, almost impossibly so. Pleasure fills her from head to toe as every atom that made up her body seemed to vibrate.

After a couple of seconds, she pulls away. She puts her hands up to her mouth, touching her lips as if she couldn't believe what just happened. She felt incredibly light-headed. It was only a small kiss, one that only lasted for a few seconds. Yet, she felt _amazing_.

"Chiaki..."

Slowly, Chiaki hugs Izuru, putting her cheek up to his chest. He was so _solid_. He was so... _there_. All she wanted was to stay like this forever, safely in his embrace and surrounded by his warmth. She could hear his heartbeat - it was strong and beating fast. Chiaki allows herself a small, contented smile - she had made his heart race like this.

Izuru carefully wraps his arms around Chiaki and pulls her closer, closing his eyes. Words couldn't begin to describe how he was feeling. And That was just the way that he wanted it. True emotions seemed to be indescribable, unpredictable.

And the best part?

It wasn't boring.


End file.
